The testimony at the board of supervisors meeting Tuesday attacking map 747-86 was intense. Donna Hair Price telling the supervisors that the map under consideration was oppressive. Bruce Gibson claimed the map clearly favored the republican party.
Although, critics of the old districts said the gerrymandering did not comply with new state laws regarding election districts. If you’re not familiar with the term gerrymander, it was invented by the Boston gazette in 1812 to describe Massachusetts senate election districts under governor Elbridge Gerry, who later became vice president of the United States. “Gary” was spelled like Gerry, which is why it’s now pronounced that way. A political cartoon showed the district to look like a dragon-like monster. Others said the districts looked like a salamander. That’s how they came up with gerrymander.
Critics say that’s how district five looked, like a salamander. The tail reaching from Santa Margarita, down the grade into San Luis Obispo where it picked up the Cal Poly campus and a few neighbors. Thus, the accusation the district was gerrymandered.
Another issue that has critics upset it the separation of Oceano and Nipomo. Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg says it dilutes the Latino vote.
One Hispanic man, disagrees with supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg. Unlike the supervisor, Adam Apodaca has lived in the area for many years. He says his family has lived in the area for three generations. He says Arroyo Grande and Nipomo are not areas of interest.
Regardless, the SLO county citizens for good government has filed a lawsuit. The claim map 747-86, the so called Patton map, violates California election law.
They are represented by attorneys Mike Normoyle and Jeffrey Stein.