Citizens group to appeal SLO County judge’s ruling on redistricting map
A San Luis Obispo County citizens’ group fighting a recently adopted redistricting map will appeal a judge’s decision to allow its use in upcoming elections.
SLO County Citizens for Good Government will file an appeal in San Luis Obispo Superior Court in a continuing attempt to keep the Patten map from being implemented prior to the June 7 supervisor primary elections in Districts 2 and 4.
Quinn Brady, a spokeswoman for the group, said they intend to file the appeal on Friday, although a court holiday may delay proceedings.
SLO County Citizens is fighting against the Patten redistricting map, which the Board of Supervisors adopted in December. Arroyo Grande resident Richard Patten drew the map, and the local Republican Party lobbied supervisors to approve it.
SLO County Citizens filed a lawsuit against the county in January, claiming Patten’s map violates the California Fair Maps Act because it was drawn to increase Republicans’ electoral advantage and it breaks up communities of interest.
The group previously filed a motion for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented the county from using the Patten map. In its place, SLO County Citizens wants the county to use the district map the Board of Supervisors approved in 2011.
But Superior Court Judge Rita Federman on Wednesday issued an opinion denying the injunction and allowing the Patten map to be used in the upcoming primaries.
Citizens’ group still trying to keep Patten map out of primary elections
Federman said SLO County Citizens “demonstrated a probability of success” in proving the county didn’t adhere to the Fair Maps Act when it ignored evidence the Patten map favors Republican candidates.
But her overriding concern was prohibiting the map’s implementation, only to have her decision overturned later down the road.
“In this case, if the county is provisionally restrained but ultimately prevails on the merits, the court will have prevented the 2022 election from proceeding on a map that it subsequently determines was duly adopted,” Federman wrote. “Such an outcome would be detrimental to the democratic process and contrary to the principles of judicial restraint articulated by case law.”
However, SLO County Citizens has the opposite concern, Brady said. They fear the Patten map being thrown out after it was already used to elect new supervisors.
The dispute over the map comes with the primaries fast approaching, and County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano must open the nomination period for supervisor candidates on Monday. If SLO County Citizens’ appeal is granted, that could upend the county’s election process.
SLO County Citizens members understand the tight timeline and hope their appeal will be heard quickly, Brady said.
“We’re still working toward having a fair map to work from for the primary election,” Brady said.
In the meantime, the group’s legal team will continue to advance its overall case in court.
