Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties have moved ahead with their proposal to be removed from Southern California’s regional stay-at-home order. The Boards of Supervisors for all three counties formally approved the proposal Tuesday, but the final decision lies in the hands of the state.
The three counties contend they simply don’t belong with their bigger neighbors to the south, and that on their own they would be able to reopen businesses and services sooner.
The counties sent letters to state health officials, and the governor.
The letters say Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties should be allowed to form their own region, the Central Coast region. The request is for the three counties to be moved to their own region in three weeks, if they can meet the state guideline of having more than 15% available hospital ICU capacity.
The counties point out they have a history of working together on regional issues.
On Monday, the current Southern California region reported a 10.9% ICU capacity. But, the three counties reported a 25.6% capacity.
