SLO County Supervisor Gibson wins by 13 votes

December 7, 2022

BY KAREN VELIE

Supervisor Bruce Gibson has won reelection in the hotly contested District 2 supervisor race, according to the final tally by the SLO County Clerk Recorder’s Office.

Gibson beat Dr. Bruce Jones by a slim margin of 13 votes, walking away with 11,722 votes or 50.o3%. Gibson’s reelection insures a liberal balance of power on the board.

On one side was Jones, a political newcomer who was supported by supervisors Debbie Arnold and Lynn Compton. Jones vowed to protect the small farmer’s water rights.

On the other side, Gibson was supported by a group of wealthy North County land owners who are seeking to bank water in the Paso Robles Basin.

While it is likely a recount will be requested, it is unlikely it would change the election unless the hundreds of uncounted votes are tallied. There were hundreds of mail-in-ballots that arrived after the cutoff date, that were not counted.

In addition, several poll workers ordered voters to turn their mail-in-ballots at the polls without the required envelopes, which led to dozens of ballots not being tallied.