| The first San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting of 2026 was mercifully brief. Supervisor Paulding was elected Chair at the start and had a quick agenda to navigate. Because almost all agenda items were on the Consent Calendar, the business portion of the meeting was done in less than an hour. |
San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors Chair Jimmy Paulding
Then came the Public Comment for Items Not on the Agenda. Attendees and the Board were treated to almost 45 minutes of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bashing.
A few speakers lectured Board Members about not listening, and many complained about the 3-minute time limit along with the restriction against applauding.
This wasn’t exactually a “baptism by fire” for Paulding chairing his first meeting, but it was tense at times. Actually, Paulding held up well and responded appropriately when the ICE haters got out of hand.
The main theme seemed to be a request for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to step up and tell the Federal Government how to conduct immigration enforcement. This ranged from enforcement free zones to a citizen oversight committee directing the sheriff in his dealings with the immigrant communities
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Or maybe the theme was simply to ignore the authority of the Federal Government all together. It wasn’t quite clear.
Their concerns about due process are well intended, but their anecdotes and emotional stories never seem to include the crimes committed by many of the migrant targets, nor do they acknowledge the victims of those crimes. It appears that they would prefer no ICE activity at all but might tolerate it if ICE made an appointment with anyone, they have a Federal Warrant for, and sat down for a quiet discussion before carrying out an arrest.
This line of 10 or 15 speakers was a small preview of the presentations that will be made at the January 27 Board of Supervisors meeting. Sheriff Parkinson and his staff will be conducting a “TRUTH” meeting, as required by law, where he will report all interactions with ICE over the last two years. This will take place as an agenda item for the Board of Supervisors meeting. |
Get out and Do Something Important!
An ICE Age of Protest
Verdin vs. Paulding Forum
The COLAB Annual Dinner will take place on March 26
at the Madonna Inn
| We will have an exciting speaker (to be announced shortly), great food, an open bar and an opportunity to mix and mingle with practically all of the movers and shakers in our community. Mark your calendars so that you don’t miss one of the biggest events of the year. We hope to see you there. |
| Happy New Year, and Happy 250th anniversary to our nation! |
| The first SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting of the year occurs on Tuesday, January 6. It looks like it will be a quick meeting, with only 17 agenda items, and all but 2 on the consent calendar. Most of the items are appointments to various boards or recognitions for public service, along with a couple minor construction projects up for approval. The next meeting won’t take place until January 27. It is a slow start to what could become a high-pressure year. |
WHAT TO EXPECT
Public Safety – Public Service
EMERGENT TRENDS
SEE PAGE 25 |
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Fairytale
State of the State
California’s Higher Gas Prices Are a Policy Choice,
Not an Accident
COLAB IN DEPTH
SEE PAGE 32 |
California Voter ID Initiative Surpasses One Million Signatures, Set to Appear on November 2026 Ballot
 
 
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