CC 2020-08-18_06a Supplemental No 2
MEMORANDUM
TO: CITY COUNCIL
FROM: WHITNEY MCDONALD, ACTING DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
JESSICA MATSON, DEPUTY CITY CLERK
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
AGENDA ITEM 6.a. – AUGUST 18, 2020 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL
MEETING
CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS AND
CANCELLATION OF THE NOVEMBER 3, 2020 CONSOLIDATED
GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION
DATE: AUGUST 18, 2020
Attached is additional correspondence received before 4 PM for the above referenced
item.
cc: Acting City Manager
City Attorney
City Clerk
City Website (or public review binder)
From:GJ VV
To:public comment
Subject:Cancel General Municipal Election
Date:Tuesday, August 18, 2020 3:36:28 PM
Dear Arroyo Grande Mayor and City Council,
I respectfully ask you to cancel the General Municipal Election on 11/3/2020. The deadline to
file papers has passed and the deadlines are there for a reason.
I would like to see the $28K spent on Pandemic related issues, Parks and Recreation, streets,
Brisco underpass or saved for future emergencies.
Please follow the rules of the deadline and do not waste taxpayers dollars on a write-in
campaign.
Thank you for your service.
Sincerely,
Gregory J. Van Velsir
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
From: Janice Reid [
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 2:24 PM
To: Caren Ray Russom; Kristen Barneich; Jimmy Paulding; Keith Storton; Lan George
Subject: No election
After reading what's going on with the city council and mayoral positions, I agree that
if a person doesn't get the paperwork in on time, they have missed their chance.
Thank you. I hope you receive this in time to count. I was under informed about the
write-in process.
Janice Reid
From:Ericka Horn
To:public comment
Subject:Oppose election/write-in
Date:Tuesday, August 18, 2020 2:11:03 PM
Dear Arroyo Grande Mayor and Council Members,
As a resident of Arroyo Grande, I respectfully ask you to cancel & not support the possibility of a write-in for the
General Municipal Election on Nov. 3rd, 2020.
The deadline to file papers passed and deadlines are there for a reason. If someone doesn’t bother showing up to
work what happens? Do they just come back to work next week? No… What type of person can’t even get 20
signatures to make a deadline?
A vote to allow a write in candidate is not a sign of support for public policy and process.
Members of the community would like to see the 28 thousand dollars spent on parks and rec, streets, sidewalks or
save it for a rainy day.
As our elected officials, please follow the rules of the deadline and do not waste taxpayers dollars on a write in
campaign. You voted no on a tax increase, please vote no on this absurd waste of money.
Sincerely,
Ericka Horn
Woodland Drive
Sent from my iPhone
From:Karen Hicks
To:public comment
Subject:Cancel General Municipal Election
Date:Tuesday, August 18, 2020 2:43:28 PM
Dear Arroyo Grande Mayor and City Council,
We respectfully ask you to cancel the General Municipal Election on 11/3/2020. The deadline
to file papers has passed and the deadlines are there for a reason.
We would like to see the $28K spent on Pandemic related issues, Parks and Rec., streets,
Brisco underpass or saved for future emergencies.
Please follow the rules of the deadline and do not waste taxpayers dollars on a write-in
campaign.
Thank you for your service.
Sincerely,
Mike & Karen Hicks
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
From: Tricia Ottesen [
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2020 5:18 PM
To: Jimmy Paulding
Subject: Mayor Election - NO
Hello Mr. Paulding
I have heard some rumbling that a few people are trying to insist that we have a
mayor election this year, even though no one other than the incumbant filed to stand
for that office by the filing deadline. There is talk of doing a “write-in” vote for
some person who did not file.
Please do not give in to pressure from this faction. We do NOT need an election.
People who can’t follow the election guidelines and file by the deadline should not
come into office via pressure from a sub-group of the city. They have already
demonstrated either a lack of interest or ability in following rules, guidelines, and
deadlines. We don’t need either of those characteristics in a mayor! Furthermore
the last time we elected a mayor via a write-in campaign, we ended up with a mayor
who did not serve our city well.
Thank you for considering our point of view and helping the council decide to NOT
hold a mayoral election this year.
Patricia and David Ottesen
AG
From:Cheryl Storton
To:public comment
Subject:2020 Election
Date:Tuesday, August 18, 2020 8:48:18 AM
Dear hardworking council members and mayor,
Serious candidates for office should be able to file papers in a timely manner
and before the August deadline. I do not support spending the extra money to
allow write-in candidates at this time. It would be fiscally irresponsible,
especially in these perilous times.
Cheryl Storton
Arroyo Grande, CA
From: Terese Tewalt [
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2020 8:21 PM
To: Caren Ray Russom
Subject: City council election
Hi Mayor Russom,
I am a resident of Arroyo Grande and think
there is absolutely no reason to spend 28,000 on an election when we didn’t have any new people running for any
city council
spots . The rules are there for a reason and
if a person who wants to run doesn’t meet
the deadlines he or she should not be able
to run.
Thanks for doing a terrific job as the
mayor of Arroyo Grande.
Terese Tewalt
AG
Sent from my iPhone
From:Michele Hamilton
To:agpd; Michael T. Martinez; Caren Ray Russom; Kristen Barneich; Jimmy Paulding; Keith Storton; Lan George;
Kelly Wetmore
Subject:Mayor Caren Russom
Date:Monday, August 17, 2020 8:03:43 PM
Mrs. Caren Russom,
I set out to write this letter to ask you to please allow us to still vote in Arroyo Grande,
California, via a write in vote; which is on the agenda to be voted on this Tuesday. The more I
was scrolling through all the messages I've received over the past week- my focus has slightly
changed, and I felt the need to include law enforcement into this email.
Mrs. Russom- your friend Stacy Goodgine-Bromley has confirmed that you did a
background check on me, and have at least spread the contents to her. (I have the screen shots
of her commenting on my husband). I can not tell you how extremely frightened this makes
me. The only reason I believe I could be on your radar, is because of a post I made last
Monday- regarding mask wearing in AG- and if it was possible to be fined if not wearing one.
You and your husband argued with me in that post for over 5 days. Belittling me, harassing
me, intimidating me- to the point I had to ask your husband to please stop tagging my name in
the post- because I was now so fearful of him, I said I believed I was going to look into getting
a restraining order.
I reached out to Mr. Paulding to ask if we could be fined for not wearing a mask- WAY
before the post became out of hand, and he kindly just said Yes- but it was going to be as a last
resort. He also offered to open his office, for me to come in and talk to him about it. I felt I
could not- because of the ongoing harassment online from you and Mr. Russom.
I have been told that it is illegal for a politician to use resources available to them, to find
out information on an individual that disagrees with them. I also realize the chance of anyone
coming forward to say they did perform that search- is slim to none. What was your purpose
of conducting the search? To use its contents in some way to hurt me or my family in the
future? This is the first time , in my life, I have felt unsafe to live in this city.
I do not expect- nor do I want you to write me back. I just wanted to make it known to
your co-workers and law enforcement- that you have taken it upon yourself , to investigate my
personal life. I am not a politician, I am not a public figure, I have never made any types of
threats to you or your family. You taking an interest in my personal life- is beyond frightening
and unethical.
Again- I come back to my original message; if you believe you are the best choice for the
city of Arroyo Grande, then please give the citizens the option to vote you in. Jim Hill was a
write in candidate several years ago; and successfully became Mayor. Please do not assume
what the citizens of this community want/need- the reason no one else stepped up- is because
we all believed Lea Hensley was going to run. But due to the advice of her counsel, is the
reason Lea couldn't step forward beforehand.
Thank you everyone- for your time in reading this. I appreciate it, and I felt this was the only
way I could protect myself and family, by making law enforcement aware.
Michele Hamilton
CC: Daw Dows
Ian Parkinson