HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-04-2021 BOS ltr Appointment of County Clerk RecorderOffice of the City Council
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
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October 4, 2021
Chair Lynn Compton
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
1055 Monterey Street D430
San Luis Obispo CA 93401
RE: Appointment of a new County Clerk/Recorder
Dear Chair Compton,
The City Council has been following the process that the Board of Supervisors has initiated to
appoint a new County Clerk/Recorder. This is of paramount concern as the County Clerk/Recorder
not only oversees elections for the county, but also provides balloting services for all the cities in
the county.
Transparent, neutral, fair, and equal access to, and administration of, our voting process is the basis
of our democracy. Voting is a fundamental right, no matter which political party or candidate a
voter may support. As stated in the City of San Luis Obispo's letter of June 25, 2021, the person
who fills the position needs to be not only non -partisan and qualified but must also have experience
in leadership and be qualified to carry out the election process professionally according to State
and Federal law. They also need hands on experience in running elections.
The Board of Supervisors appointed a knowledgeable experienced Selection Committee, which
conducted itself with transparency and professionalism in recommending three practiced and
highly qualified candidates with proven track records of actively working on elections for many
years. In the interest of public trust and the integrity of the office, we encourage you to honor the
adopted process.
Understanding the elections code and administering a fair and impartial election is a complex
process, not something to be led by someone with little to no experience. Any of the three
recommended candidates would be ready to administer the elections process on their first day,
while also supervising the administration of the myriad of other crucial operational duties and
processes overseen by the County Clerk Recorder. Should the Board of Supervisors decide to
interview more candidates, this could be accomplished by reopening the process or the Board
selecting individual applicants that originally applied since the City's understanding is that the
Selection Committee declined the request to identify more applicants. Neither of these approaches
are recommended as the Selection Committee identified all of the candidates that it felt could do
the job.
Letter — Board of Supervisors — Appointment of County Clerk/Recorder
October 4, 2021
Page 2
Any real or perceived erosion of the integrity of the elections process has the potential to
undermine core tenants of the democratic process and public trust in free and fair elections. We
urge the Board of Supervisors to move forward with interviewing candidates recommended by the
Selection Committee and appoint an individual with experience, integrity, as well as the fair and
impartial disposition to serve as our County Clerk/Recorder.
Respectfully yours,
Erica A. Stewart
Vice Mayor
CC: San Luis Obispo City Council
Wade Horton, County CAO