I Observed the Vote Count for Assessment Fee Hikes

An Assessment Fee Election

There was more than one election on June 7. It was also the final day for Paso Robles neighborhood residents in District 1 to vote on whether their assessment fees would go up. Landscape and Lighting Maintenance District 1 is divided into many zones and sub areas. All residents had to have their votes in to the city clerk by the end of the hearing at the June 7 City Council meeting.

Bird on Street Light Maintained with Assessment Fees , © B. Radisavljevic

By law, a neighborhood's assessment can't be raised more than the maximum assessment rate already in place without a vote. The assessment fee covers the expenses of maintaining the public landscaping and lighting for the neighborhood. If neighborhoods don't vote to raise their assessment fee, there will be no improvements in the street lighting, parkways, islands, slopes, and open space for these neighborhoods. 

Landscaping Slated for Improvement with Assessment Fees, © B. Radisavljevic

The Public Hearing

Even though most people mail in their ballots to the city clerk before the scheduled hearing, citizens still can still present written or oral testimony during the public hearing before the votes are counted. Then anyone who hasn't turned in their ballot is told it's time to get them in if they want their votes counted.

As it turned out, no one from my neighborhood took the opportunity to speak. When the votes were about to be counted, those at the council meeting were invited to go outside the room and observe the vote count. I was the only one who did.

Watching the Vote Count

Counting Election Results at City Hall after Hearing, © B. Radisavljevic

When I left the city council meeting to watch the vote count, I wasn't sure what to expect. The two women in charge walked out with a box of about 500 ballots in sealed #10 envelopes. (You can see it on the far end of the table.) The most time consuming part of the process was opening all those  envelopes -- especially since no one had thought to bring a letter opener. They did manage to borrow one from the library.

As ballots were opened, they were separated into stacks. There was a stack for those with yes votes, one for no votes, one for ballots signed with no vote marked, and another for defaced ballots. Defaced ballots were those that had writing on them apart from the signatures and the mark for yes or no. The ladies were very reasonable in deciding what was defaced. A couple of ballots where the person had circled the choice before marking it were counted, since intent was clear. Ballots with notes written on them were declared defaced according to the rules, but ballots with attached sticky notes weren't. Never write on a ballot if you want your vote to be counted.

After enough ballots were open and stacked, the person at the near end of the table with the computer started counting them. You can see each ballot has two bar codes. That bar code identifies the parcel number and whether the vote is a yes or no. To avoid someone voting more than once, the computer will not record a second vote for the same parcel number. The stacks are scanned separately to make it easier not to scan the wrong code, but the woman was very careful and did double-check. Here's how that worked. The computer makes a sound when the vote is recorded. You might want to play this full size on YouTube when you finish reading here.

At the end of the scanning, the computer had neatly tabulated the results by zone and sub area. The fee assessment passed in my Zone 4 Sub Area 5.

Have you ever witnessed an official vote count? If so, how was it different than this one?

If you learned something from this post, why not share it? Sharing buttons are below just above the comment box. This last photo was  designed to share on Pinterest.

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How to Vote in San Luis Obispo County

There's More Than One Way to Vote

When I was first married, we used to look forward to walking to our polling place for each election. Now that we are fifty years older, we are permanent absentee voters. At our age, one just never knows if one will be able to go to the polling place on election day. I'm glad there's more than one way to vote. One can vote in person at the polling place,  one can vote early at the County Clerk's Office, or one can vote absentee.

Door to County Clerk's Office in Atascadero, © B. Radisavljevic

Voting Absentee

Many of us choose to be permanent absentee voters because we're never sure whether we will be physically able to get to our polling place on election day. People can also vote early in the Clerk Recorder's Office if they cannot go to their polling place on election day. Permanent absentee voters can mail their ballots in, allowing enough time for them to be received by election day. Postmarks may not count. Two authoritative sources conflict.

 One can also return absentee ballots to any polling place on election day. I chose to take my completed ballot to the County Clerk's office. I have never forgotten the time my mother in Paso Robles mailed a letter to her sister in Long Beach and it took two months to get there. It somehow went by way of Washington, D. C..

How to Vote Early or Return Your Completed Ballot to the County Clerk

For authoritative information, check the County Clerk's website. I returned my own ballot to the County Clerk's branch office in Atascadero. While there I saw people who were voting early. I took my ballot to the desk and asked the clerk to please check my envelope in case I'd made mistakes in the form of my signature. That's all there was to it. The hard part was finding the office. I didn't realize it was on the second story of the Atascadero Public Library building. It is. 

Atascadero Public Library, County Clerk's Office, Window for County Clerk's Office in Atascadero, © B. Radisavljevic

How to Be an Informed Voter

I have now done my civic  duty. I read all the literature, sorted through all the propaganda on television commercials, and got recommendations from people who know the candidates better than I do. It wasn't hard making up my mind about local candidates, since I've seen them in action, know their records, and can see through what they say to what they've done in office previously. Some of the candidates I know personally.

I believe voting entails more than making marks on a ballot. It takes a bit of research to vote intelligently. Sometimes it means getting involved in local politics, or at least attending a few city council or Board of Supervisor's meetings. If you've watched politicians in action after they are elected, you will be better able to judge whether they mean what they say when they want to be reelected. See Electioneering is in Full Swing in Paso Robles.

Some people skip primary elections, but if you do that, some local offices may be decided before they get to the general election and you will not have had a voice. If you vote at the polls or haven't mailed your ballot yet, try to ignore any last minute dirty politics. That's probably just what it is -- dirty. Many campaigns or

PACs like to tell lies when it's too late for a candidate to refute them before the election. Do your research, talk to people you trust who keep informed about local races, and stick with what you've decided beforehand when  the last minute mud is slung. If you really have no idea who is deserving of your vote, it's sometimes better to leave that one office or proposition blank rather than make an uninformed vote. It's far better though, to inform yourself. Cast your ballot, and you can get a sticker like mine. I'm better at voting than at taking selfies.

Electioneering is in Full Swing in Paso Robles

Local Political Campaigns are Important

If you turn on the radio or watch television or just drive down a city street, you cannot escape electioneering. Now that primary ballots have been mailed, candidates and campaigns are busy everywhere asking for your vote. Politics in in the air and on the airwaves. Never has it been so important to so many people as this year. In other states there have been record turnouts for primary elections. This year California finally gets a say, since some candidates need more votes to clinch their nominations. I hope that will also bring people  out to vote in local elections.

Setting Up for John Peschong Meet and Greet in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

None of the candidates competing at the top of the tickets would be there had they not started at the local or state level -- with one exception. Even that one exception was involved in the political process, donating to campaigns to try to influence elections and getting to know the people who made political decisions. That, too, is most effective at the local level where one can actually get to speak to candidates and ask questions. That's why there are many "meet and greets," like the one I attended for John Peschong recently.

Whom you elect to local offices is just as important as whom you elect to Congress or the Presidency. Make candidates give you a good reason to vote for them.  Having the most signs visible around town  does not mean a candidate is the most qualified person for the office. Being a nice guy or gal doesn't mean someone is qualified to help run your life, either.  Most people running for office seem like nice people. That sometimes means they will try to be all things to all people or go with the flow instead of standing for what is wise and just.

Instead of looking just at personality or experience in a bureaucracy (commission, etc.), look closely at the decisions a planning commissioner, for example, has made and how they may have affected your life. Pay attention. Is this a person you would want spending your money? Is this a person you trust to do what's in your best interests. Will this person respect your property rights? Your water rights? Your First and Second Amendment rights? Look at the record and see if it matches campaign promises. That's not hard to do at the local level.

The Salinas River is a Water Source in Paso Robles,  © B. Radisavljevic

To be an informed voter who will make a positive difference in your community, you should attend at least three meetings of your city council and your county Board of Supervisors when hot topics (burdensome ordinances, water rights, new regulations)  are being decided.  Watch how your current elected officials behave while in office. Are they insulting other board members or bullying to try to pass unpopular regulations? Does the chair respect those who are speaking for or against a matter on the agenda? Does the chair hush an applauding audience he or she disagrees with or limit speaking time when it's evident those in the audience will not be supporting his or her own positions?

If you can't go, watch the meetings on television or listen to them on the radio. (In North San Luis Obispo County you can listen to city council meetings on KPRL, 1230. You can  also hear candidates for public office being interviewed or discussions on hot local topics between 12:40 and 2 pm weekdays on the same station.) Body language will often let you know what an official is really thinking. Facial expression will show a condescending attitude toward a speaker. 

Board of Supervisors Meeting for San Luis Obispo County,  © B. Radisavljevic

Above you see a meeting of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. What happens in this room affects your life in a big way.  There are five supervisors -- one for each district. You only get to vote for yours. You can, however, financially support and campaign for the others.

Why would you do that? Because they all vote on the decisions that affect your life and they also sit on other boards, like the Air Pollution Control District, Planning and Building, LAFCO, and many more. City Council Members also sit on these boards, as do board members of the Community Service Districts. These various boards decided the plastic bag ban by one vote, and the one that cast that vote knew it was not what his district wanted.

It was the Board of Supervisors that listened to the pleas for "regulatory support" from a company that did energy audits  and voted to pass a regulation that requires all county homeowners to get an energy audit before they can sell a home. Those audits aren't cheap, and although you don't have to follow all the recommendations before selling, you do have to share the report with a buyer. I was there. Most of those speaking on the issue were against the regulation, but the two supervisors who never saw a regulation they didn't like voted for it, along with an unelected appointee who was filling the chair of a deceased member who would not have voted for it.

The county supervisors will affect your life -- not just your own supervisor , but the other four, as well. All the candidates for my First District are nice people. I've met them all and I've seen them in action. But I only know of one I believe will spend my tax money wisely and  respect my property and water rights. That would be John Peschong. I've watch the others on the Paso Robles City Council and in other settings. That's why John Peschong is getting my vote. 

John Peschong and Lynn Compton at Meet and Greet, © B. Radisavljevic

Debbie Arnold and Lynn Compton also represent my views on the BOS, even though I can't vote for them. Lynn isn't running this time, but I'm supporting Debbie because she is looking out for the interests of tax payers and property owners and votes against regulations that reek of cronyism.

Those on the Board of Supervisors often go on to run for higher office. Katcho Achadjian was on the board  and then ran for the 35th Assembly District. He says in his ads that he won't go along to get along,  but he is responsible for authoring a bill to form a water district that would have violated the water rights of rural landowners in the Paso Robles Water Basin.

Fortunately, due to the diligent efforts of Cindy Steinbeck in educating people who were affected, the voters defeated the formation of that district -- a district that would have provided no new water sources. Instead, it would have forced rural landowners to meter their wells, which they paid for and have to maintain, to let someone else control the water which they have rights to by law, and to pay an extra fee for someone to manage it.  There's no way I will vote to send Katcho, the establishment candidate,  to Congress. I believe he will go along to get along. He has in the past.

I don't know Justin Fareed. He was an establishment candidate for this seat in 2014 and lost to Lois Capps. Katcho endorsed him then. Some people I respect support him. I still have not made up my mind between him and Matt Kokkonen. If you have a strong preference, convince me in the comments.

Lastly, we need to fill the new seat in the 35th Assembly District that Katcho is vacating. I will be voting for Jordan Cunningham. I have known his family for years and I agree with his positions. He is the kind of young man I would like to see move up the political ladder some day if he stays committed to the principles he's running on, once he gets to Sacramento, and if he stands up to those in his own party who will try to control him.

When I vote for local officials,  I'm thinking far ahead. The local candidates who get my vote are the ones I believe will earn their right to go higher up the political ladder by demonstrating what they stand for at the local level and representing those who voted for them -- not just big donors. I will vote, and then I will watch what happens when they are in office. You should do the same.  It's not what happens during campaigns that really counts.  It's what happens between campaigns when the winners are in office. Keep an eye on them.