SLO County supervisors join Santa Barbara and Ventura counties in effort to leave Southern California region in state’s Stay at Home order

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday morning to join an effort with Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to leave the Southern California region in the state's recently created Regional Stay at Home Order.

The three counties are hoping to persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to allow the "Central Coast Coalition" to essentially form its own region.

Part of a letter that will be sent to the governors states; "As Health Officers and Public Health Directors, we are writing today to ask for your consideration in allowing San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County to exit the Regional Stay At Home Order (RSAHO) after three weeks, if the ICU capacity in our three counties exceeds 15% and is expected to stay on that course based on the four-week ICU bed capacity projection to be done biweekly by your Department."

The letter goes on to state the request is being made since the Tri-Counties area is "geographically, demographically, and functionally distinct from the rest of the Southern California region."

It adds the Central Coast Coalition would anticipate exiting the Regional Stay at Home Order much sooner than as members of the Southern California region.

The letter is signed by all of the Public Health officers and directors in each of the three counties.

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the letter.

The vote marked the first for Dawn Ortiz-Legg, who was recently appointed as District 3 Supervisor by Newsom.

Tuesday's meeting was the first for Ortiz-Legg since being named supervisor last week.