SLO County Republican Party endorses 10 local candidates

The Republican Party of San Luis Obispo County has rolled out its slate of endorsed candidates for the 2026 local elections, and North County voters will see plenty of familiar names when they open their ballots.

Ten candidates across Paso Robles, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Pismo Beach and the Lucia Mar Unified School District earned the party's backing, according to a news release reported by the Paso Robles Daily News. Four of the ten are seeking office in Paso Robles itself — a concentration that underscores how much of the city's local leadership is on the ballot this cycle.

Who Made the List

The full slate of endorsed candidates, as listed by the county party:

• David Swift — Grover Beach mayor
• Eilene Pham — Lucia Mar Unified School District board
• Faith Frankel — Paso Robles mayor
• Tom Apkarian — Paso Robles Board of Trustees, Area 1
• Chris Bausch — Paso Robles City Council District 2
• John Rowins — Paso Robles Joint Unified School District trustee, Area 4
• Scott Newton — Pismo Beach mayor
• Julie Tizzano — Lucia Mar Unified School District trustee, Area 5
• Mike Avila — Atascadero City Council
• Traci Bognuda — Lucia Mar Unified School District trustee, Area 7

The endorsements span city halls and school boards alike — a reminder that in local government, the offices closest to residents' daily lives are often the ones with the lowest profiles on the ballot.

A Focus on Paso Robles

For Paso Robles voters, the endorsement list touches nearly every level of municipal government. Faith Frankel's endorsement in the mayoral race headlines the local slate, joined by Chris Bausch in the City Council's District 2 seat. Tom Apkarian picked up the party's nod for the Paso Robles Board of Trustees in Area 1, while John Rowins was endorsed for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District's trustee seat in Area 4.

That means voters in different pockets of the city will encounter different endorsed names depending on where they live — a function of the district-based elections that Paso Robles and many other California cities have adopted for city council and school board seats in recent years.

The Lucia Mar Unified School District, which serves the South County communities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano and surrounding areas, drew the largest number of endorsements — four in all — reflecting the number of school board seats in play this cycle.

How the Endorsement Process Worked

According to the party's release, the endorsement process gave candidates the opportunity to sit down with local Republican Party representatives, answer questions, and discuss both the issues facing their communities and their own priorities for the offices they're seeking.

"We appreciate every candidate who took the time to participate in our endorsement process and engage in a serious discussion about the future of San Luis Obispo County and our local communities," the Republican Party of San Luis Obispo County said in the release, as reported by the Paso Robles Daily News. "We congratulate our endorsed candidates and look forward to helping voters learn more about them as we move toward the election."

The organization describes its mission as supporting Republican candidates, encouraging participation in local government and elections, and promoting Republican principles countywide. Voters looking for more information on the party and its endorsed candidates can find it at RPSLOC.org.

Why Local Endorsements Matter

Party endorsements in technically nonpartisan local races still carry real weight. They can translate into volunteer muscle, campaign mailers, fundraising networks and — perhaps most consequentially — a signal to party-aligned voters scanning a long ballot of down-ballot names they may not recognize.

That's especially true in school board and city council contests, where name recognition and turnout often decide races decided by just a few hundred votes. In Paso Robles, where debates over growth, water, downtown development and school funding regularly draw packed meeting rooms, the composition of the city council and school board has a direct effect on residents' daily lives — from housing decisions to how local schools are run.

North County has also tended to lean more conservative than the county's coastal communities, making party organizing in places like Paso Robles and Atascadero a meaningful factor in local election outcomes.

What Comes Next

With the endorsements now public, the campaigns head into the stretch run toward Election Day on Nov. 3, 2026. Voters can expect to see the endorsed candidates featured in party communications, and the county party has said it plans to help voters learn more about its slate as the election approaches.

Candidates who did not seek or receive the endorsement are, of course, still on the ballot — and in nonpartisan races, voters won't see party labels printed next to anyone's name. That leaves forums, local coverage and word of mouth to fill the gap between now and November.

For Paso Robles residents, the practical takeaway is simple: four of the names on your fall ballot now carry an institutional stamp of approval from the county Republican Party. What that's worth at the polls will be decided in a little over two months.

This article is based on reporting by the [Paso Robles Daily News](https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/slo-county-republican-party-endorses-10-local-candidates/223009/). For more 805-region coverage, visit 805.life.