SLO County supervisors select new district map

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved a new district map in a split decision Tuesday.

After a nine hour discussion, the board voted to go with a map submitted by Arroyo Grande resident Richard Patten.

The final vote was 3-2, with Supervisors Lynn Compton, John Peschong and Debbie Arnold voting yes. Supervisors Bruce Gibson and Dawn Ortiz-Legg voted no.

The Patten Map splits the North Coast into three separate districts and groups most of San Luis Obispo together.

This map also divides Nipomo and Oceano into different boundaries.

The new districts will be used for the next 10 years.

At a standing-room only meeting held on Nov. 19, the board narrowed the list of proposals to two maps, including the Patten map and another submitted by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce proposal kept the district lines very similar to how they are currently drawn.

When the meeting began Tuesday, a standing room only crowd filled the board chambers. A Cal Fire official was on hand to make sure capacity limits were observed.

During the redistricting process, County staff said several hundred submissions of public comment were received and reviewed.

The Patten Map will be formally introduced at a meeting a week from Tuesday.

It will be officially adopted on December 14th.