League of Women Voters’ view of SLO County supervisors’ new redistricting map
The ‘Patten Map’ was selected by county supervisors to redraw their districts.
Here’s what you need to know
–On Nov. 30, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors held the final redistricting hearing to choose the supervisorial district maps to be in effect for the next ten years. After hearing nearly six hours of public comment the board made its final decision around 6:15 p.m. Spoiler alert if you don’t already know – the board voted 3 to 2 to adopt the “Patten” map (featured above). Here are some takeaways from the hearing:
During the staff presentation, Redistricting Partners, the county’s consultant, made a statement that there would be about 57,000 deferrals and 57,000 accelerations with the Patten map and about 8,900 deferrals and 8,200 accelerations with the SLO County 2030 map. Later, that number was corrected to be about 48,000 each in the Patten map and 9,000 each in the SLO County 2030 map.
After the staff presentation, Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg asked for an analysis of party breakdown for both maps so it would be clear that the map met the requirements of Election Code section 21500 (d) which prohibits the board from choosing a map that discriminates or favors a political party, but the formal motion failed on a 2-3 vote. Supervisor John Peschong stated during the hearing that it would be illegal for the supervisors to know the party breakdown, although the consultant offered that while he does not have access to the data, his firm could provide that analysis.
There were about 120 people who offered oral public comment although many who had submitted slips had left the chambers before their names were called. SLO Mayor Erica Stewart and Morro Bay Mayor John Headding spoke in support of the 2030 map focusing their support on the effect on their cities. Oceano CSD Board member Allene Villa spoke in support of the 2030 map focusing on the connections to Nipomo. We did not keep track of the comments but one person offered their count, which was 77 for the 2030 map and 44 for the Patten map. The league gave public comment in support of the SLO County 2030 map and offered our analysis of the voting trends in the areas being deferred and accelerated by the Patten map as well as the large number of voters who will reside in “orphaned” districts for 2 years. Those voters live in Los Osos, Oceano, Morro Bay and the parts of SLO currently represented by District 2. The support for this analysis was presented in writing to the board.
Michael Latner, Cal Poly Political Science professor and our guest at the Nov. 2 webinar, offered his analysis that the Patten map is in violation of 21500 (d) and the free and fair election clause of the California Constitution. He stated that the map “packs” Democratic voters into 2 districts, making all districts less competitive. Democrats hold a slight lead in voter registration in the county (38 % to 35% with 20% No party preference) but Republicans hold a majority of the board seats and the new district lines appear to nearly ensure this minority/majority continues on the board of supervisors.
After public comment ended, there was a question to County Counsel about the special election for the remainder of the term for District 3 that will be held in conjunction with the 2022 Primary Election. The county has asked for an attorney general opinion to clarify, but the county’s opinion is that this election will use the old lines not the lines adopted for District 3 in the Patten map – so the areas that voted for District 3 Supervisor in 2020 will be the areas to vote for the supervisor to serve until January 2025.
After this clarification, the board members made their comments. When Supervisor Peschong asked if the Patten map could be amended to keep the San Miguel CSD whole, it was pretty clear that his vote would be for the Patten map. The other Supervisors laid out their reasons for supporting the map of their choice and why they felt that the Patten map either met or did not meet the Fair Map Act requirements. A motion to support the SLO County 2030 map by Supervisor Ortiz-Legg failed. Supervisor Bruce Gibson laid out his perception of the flaws of the Patten map over the objections and the roll call vote conducted by Chairperson Lynn Compton. If you are interested in hearing the supervisors’ comments, and we would urge you to do so, you can view the hearing here. The board discussion begins at about 6:30 in the hearing.
So what is next? Staff will amend the county ordinance to re-draw the district lines in accordance with the board’s decision. The amended ordinance will be introduced on Dec. 7 during the consent agenda. The board will hold a hearing to adopt the ordinance on Dec. 14 with an effective date of Jan. 14, 2022. At this point, the League does not plan to attend the hearing, but may submit written public comments. We will be following any efforts to appeal the board’s decision or challenge the adopted ordinance and will keep our members informed of any developments.
The league made our position on the map choice clear and we are pleased to have received many positive comments about our analysis and the information on redistricting that we provided. Many of our members and allies wrote and spoke in support of minimal changes to the district lines, and even though the Board ignored your voices, it was important to be heard. We are stronger in numbers and we thank our members – those who have been a continuing part of the League and those who have recently joined in order to support our efforts. If you are not a member, we encourage you to join using the link below. Democracy is not a spectator sport!
–League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County
