Three candidates vie for Paso Robles 2nd District seat

Paso Robles voters will see a contested race for the 2nd District City Council seat this November — a change from four years ago, when incumbent Councilmember Chris Bausch ran unopposed. This time, Bausch faces two challengers: Generation Build founder Michael Massey and soon-to-be retired financial systems administrator Robert Simoni, according to the New Times SLO (Atascadero).

The race matters well beyond Paso Robles city limits. Atascadero and Paso Robles share a North County economy, school and commute patterns, and regional housing pressures — and decisions made in Paso Robles City Hall about east-side development and traffic infrastructure ripple directly onto roads and housing markets that Atascadero residents navigate every day.

A first term shadowed by legal disputes

Bausch was appointed to the council in 2022, but his first term was marked by conflict that culminated in lawsuits and more than $840,000 in settlements and legal costs to the city and its insurer, New Times reported.

The controversy stems from a conflict between Bausch and former City Manager Ty Lewis. In March 2025, The Tribune sued Paso Robles and Bausch, alleging violations of the California Public Records Act after the newspaper sought records related to that conflict. Bausch countersued the city and The Tribune, arguing he hadn't been given adequate time or resources to respond. A judge eventually ordered him to turn over responsive records, including those stored on personal devices.

The dispute was settled in September 2025, with Paso Robles agreeing to pay $250,000 toward The Tribune's legal fees and $27,000 toward Bausch's. Including Lewis' settlement and associated legal costs, the broader conflict cost the city and its insurer more than $840,000.

Mayor John Hamon suggested at the time that voters consider recalling Bausch. "Leadership requires accountability, and it is unacceptable for elected officials to engage in conduct that exposes the city to repeated legal challenges," Hamon said during a September 2025 City Council meeting. Bausch has maintained he didn't break the law and said he delayed releasing records on the advice of his attorney. New Times reached out to Bausch for this story but did not receive a response before publication.

A challenger motivated by the price tag

For Simoni, the taxpayer money spent resolving the disputes around Bausch helped inspire his campaign. "I was just kind of shocked at that," he told New Times. After learning Bausch had run unopposed four years earlier, he began considering a run himself.

Simoni has spent much of his career administering financial systems for large companies, including Google, and plans to retire this year. He moved to Paso Robles nearly five years ago and volunteers at the History Center of SLO County, helps with ECHO's work addressing housing insecurity, and serves as treasurer for two organizations — experience he says informs his focus on fiscal responsibility.

"I pledged to work diligently, but respectfully, with all the fellow City Council members and all city employees to ensure that tax dollars are spent on improving infrastructure services, not on legal disputes," Simoni said.

He also positions himself as an independent alternative, noting he owns no property in Paso Robles beyond his home and has no local business interests. "I'm just looking to provide public service to the residents of my district," he said.

Growth and traffic dominate the 2nd District

With development accelerating on Paso Robles' east side, the candidates are offering distinct approaches to growth, housing, infrastructure, and city spending.

Simoni has made "smart growth" the centerpiece of his campaign, saying conversations with fellow 2nd District residents repeatedly return to development and traffic. The district, he said, bears much of the traffic generated by development farther east, with drivers funneling toward the Niblick and 13th Street bridges — chokepoints familiar to many Atascadero commuters who travel into Paso Robles for work, shopping, or events.

"They don't want to see a lot of development unless there's different ways of getting into town," Simoni said. His platform also includes improving roads, fiscal responsibility, and preserving open space, with Niblick Road as a priority for improvements and the Montebello Oaks area singled out for preservation.

Massey, a Paso Robles native and founder of Generation Build, has put housing affordability at the center of his campaign. In April, he told New Times that the difficulty younger residents face establishing themselves in the city helped motivate him to run. "I just see our generation; it's just getting harder and harder for us," Massey said. He called housing the city's "most pressing" issue because of its effects on affordability, economic stability, and residents' ability to remain in the community — a concern echoed across North County communities, including Atascadero, where rental and home prices have strained younger and workforce households.

A broader shake-up on the ballot

The 2nd District contest is part of a wider reshaping of Paso Robles city government. In the 1st District, incumbent Councilmember Kris Beal is seeking another term against challenger Linda George.

Paso Robles voters will also choose a new mayor after Hamon announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection. William Britton, Faith Frankel, and Chris Rogalla are running to succeed him.

Whoever wins in November will help steer the pace and shape of development on Paso Robles' east side, the city's approach to traffic relief on corridors like Niblick Road, and — depending on the outcome in the 2nd District — whether the council moves past the legal controversies of the past four years. For Atascadero residents who work, shop, and do business in Paso Robles, the results will shape the North County's most consequential growth decisions for years to come.