December 8, 1999

We'll have no more elections about dirt

There are probably times when some government leaders envy the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District. As when SF DA Terence Hallinan gets tagged by the Chronicle for his terrible conviction record, or Willie Brown gets dinged for shortcomings of the Muni.

Compared to Mount Everests like Bill Clinton or Willie Brown, the Resource (formerly Soil) Conservation District is flat as Kansas. I've now learned this remarkable exercise in two dimensions lost its democratic component some time ago, and I hadn't even noticed. Now the district's leaders are appointed by the county Board of Supervisors. The district was created in 1939, and until it was thirty years old, there'd never been an election. No one was ever interested enough to compete for the job of director until 1969. That's the year I heard there was such an agency, and that most of Pacifica was included within it. I thought it might be fun to run for office, and the district seemed so insignificant I might have a chance to be elected. Then I learned my Linda Mar lot is 40 feet outside the district. So much for running for office. I talked a couple of friends into running. Democracy had arrived at last in the politics of dirt.

It was perhaps the most bizarre election in county history. In spite of its intimate connection with soil, there was no mudslinging. Registered voters were irrelevant. Only landowners could vote. They could vote by proxy, but not absentee. I gathered lots of proxies, and voted 'em all. A 16 year old boy voted several times, each quite legal since he was voting the proxies of landowners.

Folks in Pacifica knew something of what was going on, since I wrote stories in the Tribune. Daly City, South San Francisco and San Bruno landowners were thoroughly confused.

They got a notice of an election in the mail. They knew nothing, but some went to the polls anyway. Election rules might give husband and wife two votes for their 50x100 lot, but only one vote to an unmarried south county farmer with 1000 acres. Cities had almost all the voters, but the only folks really interested were the farmers who needed the district's services. City folk didn't know who to vote for, so most voted for the rancher incumbents.

In 1971 a second election produced similar results. Then the district reverted to its usual habits of no elections and a low profile. Some time after the second election, the rules were changed to permit registered voters, not landowners, to vote.

After Prop. 13, the tiny property tax assessed by the district was eliminated, and the Board of Supervisors had to come up with an annual appropriation. Since any election might double the district budget, eventually the decision was made that directors would be appointed by the Supervisors. As far as I know, the district still includes large portions of Pacifica, Daly City, South City and San Bruno, but probably no one currently running the district knows or cares. I doubt Park Pacifica landslides or beach erosion in Linda Mar concern them in the slightest.

Paul Azevedo's e mail address is Paul@thereactor.net.