In CA, the Sheriff in each county is the responsible officer issuing, or not, CCWs. Many are selected in the first place because they firmly oppose issuance, and guns in the hands of "civilians" in the first place, encouraged in this view by the Senators, Feinstein and Boxer.
You have to appreciate the power a Senator has in a state, especially the senior Senator of the President's party. She controls all patronage in the state. Nobody can be appointed to the Federal bench without her recommendation, and absolutely not over her objection. Many other federal perks are within her control, dams, roads, new courthouses, IRS processing centers, Social Security offices, any or all of which can be approved or not, depending on how backward your Sheriff happens to be. Nobody ever says this, but eventually they figure it out. A great many Supervisors (like county commissioners) are of this view anyway, but if not, they soon will be.
The Sheriff is elected, but great care is taken to make sure, like a conjurer's trick, the voters pick the one the Supervisors want. Appointing a new Sheriff who then runs as an incumbent, with all out support from the public employee unions, all the "favors" and horse trading of political life, are involved, and more besides.