The process to name a new San Bernardino County 3rd District Supervisor may have hit yet another snag. Yesterday, a political advocacy group said it is taking San Bernardino County to court, arguing that supervisors violated state law last month when they appointed Dawn Rowe of Yucca Valley to be supervisor for the 3rd District which includes our Morongo Basin. I.E. United filed a petition with the County Superior Court, asking a judge to overturn the appointment of Rowe, a former Yucca Valley Council member, because they believe the selection process violated state public meeting laws. The Brown Act laws are intended to make decisions made by elected officials transparent. The group claims the other four County Supervisors met “privately” and held a “secret ballot” when they worked to narrow an initial list of 48 applicants to 13 for interviews. After the interviews December 11, supervisors picked a final five that included Rowe. County officials disputed the claim that any laws were violated. On December 18, I.E. United sent a letter asking Supervisors to re-interview all the applicants. The supervisors, however, voted to rescind their previous actions. After that, they appointed Rowe to the post. Rowe was sworn in on December 18. While the court filing does not change her status, it’s unclear what would happen if the court rules against the county. The 3rd District seat became vacant in November, when former Supervisor James Ramos was elected to the 40th Assembly District. The county’s charter requires that existing board members fill any vacancy within 30 days, or the decision goes to the Governor. The charter also rules out a special election. A court hearing has been scheduled for early March.
