Redistricting left some SLO County residents without supervisors. Who will represent them?
Redistricting in 2021 left residents in areas of San Luis Obispo County without their own elected representatives on the SLO County Board of Supervisors.
On Jan. 24, the board voted unanimously to assign supervisors to represent those so-called “orphaned districts.”
“We need formalized representation to go with our taxation,” Los Osos homeowner Alex Mintzer said at Tuesday’s board meeting, asking the board to designate a supervisor to represent his community.
In December 2021, the board voted 3-2 to adopt a new district map drawn by Arroyo Grande resident Richard Patten. It dictates the boundaries for each of the five districts in SLO County.
In January 2022, citizen group SLO County Citizens for Good Government sued SLO County over the map, arguing that the county violated the Fair Maps Act by gerrymandering districts to benefit Republicans and breaking up communities of interest.
The county may soon select a new map.
The board voted 3-2 on Jan. 24 to direct county counsel to enter into settlement talks for the redistricting case.
In the meantime, residents in orphaned districts will have a representative to call about everything from fixing potholes to securing funding for storm damage.
SLO County supervisors to represent orphaned districts
In 2021, the board adopted a district map that left Los Osos, Morro Bay and Oceano without an elected representative.
Los Osos and Morro Bay used to fall within the boundaries of District 2, but redistricting moved Los Osos to District 5 and Morro Bay to District 3. Oceano was formerly located in District 4, but now lies in District 5.
Constituents in those areas won’t have the chance to vote for a new supervisor until 2024, and asked the board to assign a designated supervisor to address the needs of their communities.
Oceano resident Allene Villa said her community needs a dedicated supervisor to ensure they get enough government funding to fix storm damage and to support economic development when off-road riding ends at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
“Oceano is a small, unincorporated, disadvantaged town,” Villa said. “Although my beautiful town borders our beautiful coastline and majestic Oceano Dunes, we lack basic infrastructure such as sidewalks, safe crosswalks and proper lighting. We have long been ignored and require special love and attention to deal with these needs.”
Unlike the seven cities in SLO County, Oceano doesn’t have a city council to address its needs — and it relies on the Board of Supervisors to make decisions about funding, services and more.
“Oceano is a diamond in the rough that requires attentive, caring, and democratic governance,” Villa said. “Fair and equal representation is a fundamental principle of our democracy, and it should be protected and ensured at all levels of government.
On Jan. 24, the board assigned Supervisor Bruce Gibson to represent Los Osos and Morro Bay, and Supervisor Jimmy Paulding to represent Oceano.
Each assigned supervisor will “serve as the contact for constituent services and allow for representation of the area until a vote in the 2024 election,” county documents said.
After spending his childhood in Oceano, Paulding said he would be happy to represent the community.
“I grew up on the border of Oceano, right through The Pike, where my parents still live,” Paulding said. “I went to elementary school in Ocenano, played soccer there. It is my community — as is SLO County in general. But I have a passion for that diamond in the rough.”
Due to redistricting, some areas of SLO County have two representatives. Atascadero is represented by supervisors Debbie Arnold and Gibson, and Edna Valley is shared by Paulding and Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg.
The board voted Jan. 24 to postpone its discussion on assigning supervisors to areas with overlapping representation.
Paulding suggested that supervisors govern overlapping areas through so-called “mutual agreement.” In that case, constituents can reach out to their preferred supervisor, and supervisors can collaborate to address those constituents needs.
How will appointments work?
Normally, residents appointed by supervisors to commissions and committees must reside in the district they serve.
After redistricting, however, some committee members were removed from the districts in which they served.
Gibson said Jan. 24 that the redrawing of the district lines “created a considerable amount of confusion,” especially when it came to staffing committees and commissions.
The board voted unanimously Jan. 24 to suspend residency requirements until the end of 2024 — allowing committee members to work in different districts than they live.
This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
