SLO County supervisors split on offshore wind energy farms

February 17, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 last week to approve a state and federal legislative platform that includes supporting offshore wind energy farms and strengthening support for Proposition 13.

Supervisors Bruce Gibson and Jimmy Paulding initially agreed they wanted to add only legislative priorities the supervisors unanimously voted to approve. Gibson then attempted to get the board to vote on the staffs’ recommended platform before adding additional items, but was shot down.

In an odd twist, Paulding wanted to remove a change he made three years earlier.

In 2023, after noting he was a strong supporter of Proposition 13, Paulding made a conflicting motion that removed support for the two-thirds majority vote required to raise taxes (which is part of Proposition 13), while supporting the proposition. The board then voted 3-2 to approve Paulding’s motion with supervisors John Peschong and Debbie Arnold strongly dissenting.

Last week, Paulding made a motion to remove his earlier modification. He wanted to add support for the two-thirds majority vote required to raise taxes.

Gibson argued against the change saying he was in favor of removing the two-thirds majority required to raise taxes. The board then voted 4-1 with Gibson dissenting.

Their plan to only approve legislative priorities that they agreed on unanimously was quickly forgotten.

Under economic development, the legislative platform includes support “for emerging energy technologies and offshore wind development that provide regional economic benefits.”

The board voted 4-1 to adopt the platform, with Peschong dissenting because of his opposition to wind farms off the coast of Morro Bay.

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