Letter: San Luis Obispo will remain a general law county
To the editor,
The proposal to change San Luis Obispo from a general law county to a charter county had unanimous bipartisan opposition from both the electorate and the board at the May 17 board of supervisors meeting.
During the public comment period, an overwhelming concern was voiced in regards to losing direct representation by the board on behalf of the electorate. Speakers objected to the potential creation of charter commissions, committees, sub-committees, county managers, etc, which would all have more influence over the supervisors than the electorate. Others were concerned at the inevitability of special interest groups vying for self-serving amendments to a county charter.
Concerned citizens drew parallels between the challenges our county currently faces with the California Coastal Commission and how we would lose say in our own county with the creation of a charter commission. Some were primarily concerned with the protection of the authority of our sheriff. There was opposition to the proposed charter based on it not including an independent redistricting commission.
Even those preferring special elections over governor appointments said that the system of a general law county would self-correct an inappropriate appointment at the next election, so becoming a charter county was not worth the risk.
There was concern about the prospective cost of special elections, especially since we are facing a $15.1 million projected structural deficit for the coming fiscal year. Worry over low voter turnout during special elections was also voiced.
No one spoke in favor of becoming a charter county.
Following public comment, Supervisor John Peschong, who brought forward the charter concept, said that he would not support moving forward with the charter and made a motion to postpone the item indefinitely. Though his original intent was worthy, he came to agree that “…at the end of the day it was not a good idea.” Supervisor Debbie Arnold seconded the motion.
Supervisor Bruce Gibson reiterated that his support of the proposed charter county was contingent on attaching an independent redistricting commission. Without which, he agreed it was time to shelve the idea and stated that he thinks “…we’ve been doing quite well for a 170 odd years of our existence under the general laws of the state of California.”
Supervisor Lynn Compton shared that though she was fundamentally in favor of the electorate deciding who filled a vacant BOS seat, she was concerned about the slippery slope of losing our say in our county to more commissions. “While I think there is some good in [the proposed county charter], I think it could just be pretty catastrophic.”
In the end, the board voted 5-0 in favor of postponing the charter indefinitely.
Sincerely,
Sara Semmes
Atascadero
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