County adopts new redistricting map, legal challenges loom

San Luis Obispo County's Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday, along party lines, to adopt Map A for redistricting, with Supervisors Debbie Arnold and John Peschong opposing the move. The newly-adopted map bears a striking resemblance to the one chosen in 2011, despite numerous calls from supporters for a change.

Proponents of the map change contended that the Patten Map was discriminatory and illegal. However, Supervisor Arnold cautioned both her colleagues and attendees that the court did not find the Patten map to be either of those things, according to a report by CalCoast News.

In December 2021, after a lengthy and contentious process, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to adopt the Patten Map, with Supervisors Bruce Gibson and Dawn Ortiz-Legg dissenting. The issue was a partisan one, with local Democrats seeking minimal changes while Republicans preferred cities and communities to remain intact. In 2021, several supporters of Democratic candidates threatened to file a lawsuit if the board majority chose the Patten Map.

Voters fighting against redistricting decisions by politicians

Three bills are on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk to require independent redistricting commissions in Fresno, Kern and Riverside counties. 

If he signs them, those panels would work on districts for the boards of supervisors in those counties starting after the next Census in 2030. 

Advocates in Riverside County aren't waiting on a new commission to draw fairer districts in the future. They're suing to overturn districts drawn by the board of supervisors last year. Riverside County's demographics have also shifted, with increases in the Latino population and Asian populations.

Groups including Inland Empire United and the UCLA Voting Rights Project warned supervisors that the maps they were leaning towards would disenfranchise Latino voters. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say their input on a map with two majority-Latino districts instead of just one was ignored.

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