Two retired police chiefs warn against ‘radical redrawing’ of SLO County supervisor districts

Over the four decades we have spent in law enforcement, we have seen our country convulsed time and again by hyper-partisanship, protests-turned-riots and other political mayhem — yet America always regained its footing.

We both have been lifelong conservative Republicans, and believed in the values of collaboration, compromise and the rule of law. But too many Americans have rejected those values and replaced them with a win-at-all-costs mentality.

Now, almost a year after the Jan. 6 insurrection, we fear for the survival of our democracy.

We had hoped that America would regain its balance, that cooler heads would prevail.

But the raging has only grown worse, fueled in large part by too many elected bodies taking actions that will impede our ability to have free and fair elections.

In fact, we fear that conservative scholar Robert Kagan’s concerns about our democracy are spot on. As he wrote recently in the Washington Post, America has “a reasonable chance over the next three to four years of incidents of mass violence, a breakdown of federal authority, and the division of the country into warring red and blue enclaves.”

Even here in our own county, aggressive confrontations and threats of violence are on the rise.

Look no further than the recent disruptions and harassment of local school boards, and abuse of minority groups. Our county elections official, Tommy Gong, was hounded by extremist and racist accusations.

A violent event like the Jan. 6 insurrection could happen anywhere, including here. We are concerned for everyone’s safety, but particularly the safety of law enforcement personnel who will inevitably be called to quell confrontations.

How do we stem the rage?

Every citizen must become more vigilant.

Citizens must actively engage in the practice of democracy – not merely voting, but also attending government meetings and making your voices heard in a respectful, civil way. Citizen engagement is the difference between a democracy that works and a democracy in decay.

Staying on the sidelines simply surrenders the field to the extremists.

Where to start?

Start with the SLO County Board of Supervisors, who have an immediate opportunity to help quell the rage – or make it worse.

Every 10 years, with respect to the latest census, the supervisors review how the county’s five supervisor districts are drawn. The board majority has promised an open and transparent process, but we are skeptical because:

• Based on the minor changes in population, there is no legal requirement to change any district boundaries.
• The supervisors chose to ignore best practice and did not appoint a nonpartisan citizens’ panel to advise on drawing the district boundaries.
• Even though the current boundaries are fully compliant with election law, a majority appears to favor a radical redrawing of district lines that would lock in partisan advantages for the next 10 years.
• The board has compressed a complicated process, jamming the three most critical public hearings into a five-week span, leaving little time for analysis.
• At a critical point later this month, the board is allowing only three days for expert review of the maps.

If the majority opts for radically new district boundaries simply to secure a partisan advantage for themselves, they will be fueling the rage.

Though we are concerned about the current process, we also know this board can be persuaded to do the right thing when confronted by concerned citizens.

Recently, for example, after a majority of the board indicated it was open to selecting an unqualified and openly partisan person to oversee local elections, hundreds of citizens spoke up in protest. One supervisor reconsidered, and the board ended up selecting a well-qualified elections official.

What can you do?

You can write to the Supervisors at boardofsups@co.slo.ca.us and urge them to retain the current district lines, which are fully compliant with election laws. The current districts efficiently and fairly balance geography, population, communities of interest, and party registration.

You can show up at one of these two public hearings at the County Government Building (1055 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408):

9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19

9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30

By showing up and speaking up, you will be standing up for democracy, fairness and good government. Keep our local politics healthy, and not driven by conspiracies and rage.

A centuries-old aphorism remains true: All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

Now is the time. Get informed and get involved. Our democracy depends on all of us.

Jim Gardiner served as chief of police for the city of San Luis Obispo from 1987 to 2002 and is a past president of the California Peace Officers Association. Rick TerBorch served as chief of Police for the city of Arroyo Grande from 1989 to 2005 and is a past president of the California Police Chiefs Association.