The current county district map, established in September of 2011

A new libertarian-themed political organization presenting itself as a voice of the radical center has announced its intention to begin collecting signatures for a new ballot initiative to create an independent redistricting committee to oversee the drawing of the five county supervisorial districts.

Every ten years, the county supervisors vote to redraw the district boundaries based on new census counts; to the extent feasible, interests with a controlling majority seek to establish new boundaries that extend their control. With the county currently in the hands of a Democratic majority, it’s little surprise that the more conservative-minded activists affiliated with Reason in Government might push for an independent redistricting committee.

Leading the charge for the new group is Bob Collector, a longtime movie director and Montecito civic activist. Joining him at the new organization are Dennis Patrick, former head of the Federal Communications Commission under Ronald Reagan, and Brian Goebel, who served as senior policy advisor to U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2001 to 2004. Goebel and Patrick are more recent arrivals to the South Coast. The supervisors will hear the matter sometime in the first two weeks of July.

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