San Luis Obispo County was in mourning and the American flag in front of the county building was being flown at half-staff following the announcement that Board of Supervisors Chair and District Four Supervisor Paul Teixeira had died.
Teixeira died the night of June 26 after being taken to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a heart attack. He was 57 years old.
The morning of June 27, supervisors Adam Hill and Debbie Arnold held a press conference to confirm Teixeira’s passing. Both solemnly expressed their “deepest condolences” to his family and shared their personal experiences working with the man.
“He was just a big, lovable galoot. He was Mr. Nipomo,” Hill said. “He was one of those guys you just really want as your neighbor.
“I’m really going to miss him,” he added.
Arnold said that she had seen Teixeira as recently as around 8:30 p.m. on June 26, and he gave no indication of any health problems.
Teixeira was a longtime resident of Nipomo and was elected in 2010. He is survived by his wife and five children.
According to Hill, the role of board chair will go to current vice chair Bruce Gibson, who was away on business in Washington, D.C. It’s up to Gov. Jerry Brown to appoint a replacement for Teixiera, who was seen by some as the swing vote on a recently divided Board of Supervisors.
This article appears in Jul 4-11, 2013.