Gibson spreads misinformation, SLO County denies district attorney funding

County Board Rejects DA Funding Request Despite Court Backlog Warnings

San Luis Obispo County supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday to deny District Attorney Dan Dow's request for nearly $879,000 in additional funding to restore staffing cuts, a decision that came amid heated debate over prosecution resources and the office's performance.

According to CalCoastNews, the vote came after Dow warned supervisors that cases are taking longer to get to trial, including a child sexual assault case where the defendant has been out on bail since 2024. Both Supervisors John Peschong and Heather Moreno supported the funding request, but were outvoted by Board Chair Jimmy Paulding and other members.

KCBX reported that the county approved its tentative budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 without including all of the DA's funding requests, with supervisors set to vote on a final budget version at their June 16 meeting.

Dispute Over Administrative Promises

Dow claimed County CEO Matt Pontes had previously agreed to support funding for three positions using Proposition 172 reserves and opioid settlement funds. "On May 29, Pontes said he would support my positions in front of my staff," Dow said. "He said he would support three of my position through Prop. 172 funds and the opioid settlement."

However, during Tuesday's hearing, Pontes said he had not analyzed the numbers in Dow's presentation and did not recommend providing additional funding. KSBY reported that Pontes later issued a statement saying the County Executive Office "worked collaboratively with the District Attorney's Office throughout the FY 2026-27 budget process."

Gibson Claims Low Conviction Rates, DA Releases Data

Supervisor Bruce Gibson argued against the funding request by claiming Dow's office has "a very low conviction rate," according to the original CalCoastNews report. However, the District Attorney's Office released conviction rate data the same day showing felony conviction rates consistently above 81% over five years.

The data shows conviction rates of 81.8% in fiscal year 2020-21, 82.0% in 2021-22, 83.2% in 2022-23, 85.8% in 2023-24, and 82.4% in 2024-25. According to the Paso Robles Daily News, these rates consistently exceed statewide averages, with the county's four-year average of 83.3% comparing favorably to the state average of 75.5%.

Growing Elder Population Drives Need for Specialized Prosecutor

One of Dow's key requests was for a dedicated elder abuse prosecutor, citing demographic changes in the county. According to the DA's office, residents over 65 now number 65,713, representing 23.3% of the county's population - the highest percentage on record.

Dow has requested this position annually for seven years, noting that elder abuse cases reviewed by his office increased nearly 20% from 2015 to 2023. The office handled 284 cases involving elderly victims in 2023 alone, while Adult Protective Services received 1,679 reports of elder abuse in 2022.

What Happens Next

Without the additional positions, Dow warned that his office will be unable to handle all cases sent for prosecution. "Misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor drug cases, and yet most of that population of cases are recidivists, repeat offenders," he told KSBY.

The Board of Supervisors will hold their final budget hearing on June 16, where they could potentially reconsider funding decisions. The county's overall budget totals more than $1 billion in government funds with an $830 million general fund, directing the largest share of spending toward health and human services.