3 candidates are on the ballot for SLO County clerk-recorder. Here’s our pick
More than ever, San Luis Obispo County needs a well-qualified, nonpartisan clerk-recorder. It already has that in Elaina Cano.
Cano became clerk-recorder in October, when the Board of Supervisors appointed her to fill the vacancy created by Tommy Gong’s resignation.
Of the three candidates on the ballot, she is the only one with extensive experience in the field — more than 18 years of experience, in fact.
She’s been city clerk of two cities, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach; she was an assistant county clerk in SLO County; and before her recent appointment, she worked as elections manager for Santa Barbara County.
Cano doesn’t come across as a politician, and that’s a good thing.
This is a technical position — not an opportunity to sway public opinion or, even worse, make decisions that could advance one cause or candidate over another.
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Her two opponents, attorney Stew Jenkins and James Baugh, an Army veteran and training consultant, have vast experience in their fields and there’s no doubt that many of their skills would transfer over to the clerk-recorder’s position.
They also have some familiarity with election work; Baugh has been a volunteer polling place worker and inspector, as has Jenkins, who also went door-to-door registering voters when he was a college student.
But that in no way is adequate preparation for this position.
As impressive as their resumes are in their respective areas, Baugh and Stewart are not good fits for this office. This is not a learn-on-the-job situation; whoever is in that position must be ready to take charge.
On top of that, we have serious concerns about their overt ties to partisan politics.
While both candidates believe they can be neutral, even the appearance of bias can breed mistrust among voters, and that’s the last thing we need in this volatile political climate.
Baugh has been endorsed by the Republican Party, and has publicly expressed doubts about the integrity of our election process.
Here’s what he said when talk radio host Dave Congalton asked whether he believe Joe Biden won the election: “That’s what we’re told, he won the last election. Actually, I really don’t think he did.”
He also questioned the legitimacy of San Luis Obispo County’s vote tabulating.
“The numbers don’t match up when you look at the data,” he said on Congalton’s show. “I don’t know if they did it on purpose .... if when Helen Nolan left the county she did it on purpose or not.” (Helen Nolan was in charge of the office prior to Cano’s appointment.)
That’s a serious allegation to make against a former county employee without any proof and, frankly, not a great way to build trust among the staff of the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
Jenkins has a history of political involvement: He once served on the Democratic Central Committee, though he’s at times had a rocky relationship with the local Democratic leadership.
He insists he can be nonpartisan and as proof, points out that he’s represented Democrats, Republicans and independents in election law cases.
Even so, the optics are troubling.
For example, Jenkins represented Lynn Compton when she unsuccessfully sued the Elections Office to prevent it from processing ballots with mismatched signatures. Compton’s lawyers argued that the county was giving voters too much time to “cure” their signatures, but the judge disagreed.
It was a blatant attempt to disenfranchise voters, and now the attorney who made that argument wants to be in charge of ensuring free and fair elections?
Cano, who is registered no party preference, is endorsed by neither political party. Like Julie Rodewald and Tommy Gong before her, she projects complete neutrality.
Cano isn’t just the best-qualified candidate for this office, she is the only qualified candidate.
The Tribune strongly endorses Elaina Cano for county clerk-recorder.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 5:30 AM.