The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to appoint Elaina Cano to the position of County Clerk-Recorder.
After the resignation of former County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong in July, the board decided to accept applications from the community to fill the role until the next election.
A total of 44 people applied for the position. A committee tasked with vetting the applicants recommended just three candidates -- Jeffrey Barry, former Yolo County Chief Deputy Clerk-Recorder; Elaina Cano, Santa Barbara County Chief Deputy Clerk-Recorder and former city clerk for San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach; and Helen Nolan, San Luis Obispo County's Acting Clerk-Recorder.
On Tuesday, the supervisors interviewed Cano and Nolan. Barry sent a letter to the county on Friday announcing he was withdrawing his candidacy.
All of the supervisors agreed that both Cano and Nolan were well qualified for the job. They ultimately voted 4-1 to appoint Cano with Supervisor Debbie Arnold dissenting.
Arnold explained that she was voting 'no' because "it was not the process for appointment [the board] voted for," and she wanted seven applicants to consider as the vetting committee was originally told to provide. The committee, however, said only the three recommended applicants had experience in elections.
Cano will serve as County Clerk-Recorder through the current term ending in January 2023. The office is up for election in 2022.
