SACRAMENTO — Today, State Senator John Laird (D - Santa Cruz) introduced Senate Bill 977, a proposal to establish an independent redistricting commission for the County of San Luis Obispo.
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted last week in support of having staff partner with the State on Senate Bill 977. The commission would consist of a nonpartisan group of citizens who would apply to the county and be selected through a public process. If enacted, the County of San Luis Obispo would join seven other counties in California that have established independent redistricting commissions through state legislation.
“Fair impartial voting districts established independently play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of a healthy democracy,” said Senator Laird. “Creating this commission is key to helping assure that politics does not influence the shaping of future district boundaries.”
“We've heard overwhelmingly that the citizens of San Luis Obispo County strongly support the formation of an independent redistricting commission, because the voters should choose their elected officials and not the other way around,” said San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson. “I appreciate Sen. Laird's interest in crafting the commission's size and procedures to fit a mid-size county such as ours.”
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Senator John Laird represents the 17th State Senate District, encompassing the entirety of Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties, along with portions of Santa Clara and Monterey counties. With a distinguished career in public service spanning four decades, Senator Laird has served as Secretary of the CA Natural Resources Agency, as an Assemblymember, and proudly holds the distinction of being one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States. More information on Senator Laird can be found here.