The League of Women Voters opposes the proposed SLO County Charter. Here’s why

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with placing an ordinance on the November ballot to make SLO County a charter county. The sole purpose of the charter would be to stipulate special elections to fill vacancies on the Board of Supervisors and for countywide elected offices such as district attorney, sheriff and county clerk-recorder.

The League of Women Voters opposes putting this ordinance as currently written on the ballot. We cannot support requiring a special election to fill vacancies in countywide elected offices. We believe these vacancies should be filled by the appointment of a qualified, experienced interim department head for the remainder of the term or until the next general election.

The ordinance is poorly written and will have unintended consequences in terms of cost and inefficient government operations. Vacancies are by their very nature unforeseen, and circumstances vary considerably. Requiring a special election in the case of every vacancy places a constraint on the ability of county government to use valuable resources to best serve the people of our county.

A special election to fill a vacancy in a countywide position would cost approximately $1 million. This is a waste of resources, both of money and staff time. $1 million could be used to fund programs to combat homelessness, mental illness and drug addiction. Using $1 million to fill a position on a short-term basis is NOT fiscally responsible.

The ordinance stipulates that vacancies in countywide offices should be left vacant until a special election is held. This has the potential to disrupt operations of the department. It does a disservice to the staff, to the person asked to take on the leadership role without the requisite authority of an appointment, and to the county residents who depend on the department for services. We believe making these appointments is a duty of the Board of Supervisors. It is one of the responsibilities they should fulfill as elected officials. It is an abrogation of duty on their part to leave these positions vacant.

There are 14 Charter Counties in California, but no other county charter includes the provision that vacancies in countywide positions must be filled by special election, and for good reason – it is NOT good governance. SLO County would be the outlier here and for what purpose?

It has been argued that filling vacancies by appointment is time-consuming and costly. The appointment of the county clerk-recorder in 2021 is cited as a case in point. In this instance, the Board of Supervisors decided upon a process that was unnecessary and not required by state law. They hired a “headhunter,” opened the application process to all, required minimal qualifications to apply, appointed a committee to vet the applicants and then tried to ignore the committee’s advice. None of this was necessary. The resulting delays and costs followed directly from the board’s own ill-considered decisions.

The board will hold a second hearing on the ordinance on May 17. We urge voters to review the ordinance, consider our arguments against it and make their voices heard.

Cindy Marie Absey is president of the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County.