County 9-4

Judicial candidate John MacKinnon touted recent endorsements from Sheriff Bill Brown, Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, and the entire Santa Barbara City Council. Although MacKinnon, a North County Republican and prosecuting attorney, is running for a judicial seat that’s largely regarded as part of the “North County” bench, he’s been courting South Coast Democrats. His opponent, Jed Beebe, is a Santa Maria attorney who provides research services for the North County bench. (/mackinnon904)

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County supervisors voted unanimously on 9/2 to move forward on plans to keep alive $56.3 million in state funding for a new North County jail. The plans also mean that a state-run facility to help prisoners succeed once released will be moved to Paso Robles, where it will serve San Benito, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties. A do-or-die decision by the board on whether to move forward on the jail must be made in the coming weeks.