Not one single measure was passed in May’s statewide special election in California.

County governments absorbed the costs of this exercise and still haven’t been paid back by the state for this effort.  We think that is wrong.

PublicCEO took great interest when the Riverside County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting last Tuesday to recommend the appointment of State Senator John Benoit to replace Supervisor Roy Wilson, who passed away Friday. 

While we don’t have an opinion regarding Senator John Benoit becoming Supervisor, we feel the Board of Supervisors needs to explain its support of an appointment that comes with a price tag of somewhere around $1 million.

It seems hard to believe that the Governor can’t find someone in Eastern Riverside County – filled with hundreds of thousands of capable candidates – to fill the vacancy without such a high price tag.

As counties demand to be paid back by the state for the costs of statewide special elections, it looks inane when a board of county supervisors decides to spend $1 million or more to have a unique individual spend 16 months on the Board of Supervisors.

The entire purpose of PublicCEO.com is to support local government in California. This editorial board is about as close as you can get to purists on local control. 

But for the Board of Supervisors of Riverside County to recommend an individual to replace their colleague, without stating any reason for ignoring the potential $1 million price tag, pushes these limits.

Agree or disagree? Post your comments below or e-mail jspencer@publicceo.com