[Nevadaref]

Are there more top officials in the East? Yes, there are five power conferences covering that part of the country and extending into the Midwest. There is only ONE power conference in the West and three decent conferences which are considered second-tier or mid-major. So obviously there aren't going to be as many officials.

Are there better officials in the East? No, the top guys in the PAC12, WAC, WCC, and Mtn West can call just as well as the top guys in the East.

The situation is just that due to the population distribution of the country and the population density, there are fewer schools in the West and they are farther apart. So the needs are different. There is less need for officials in the West and those needed must be able to do more traveling. Not everyone can do that. Also, since there are fewer slots, there is a question as to whether there is more competition for them or if once a conference supervisor gets some guys then no one else has a chance to move up or get in. So do guys not get pushed to continue to improve? Perhaps.

If the conferences in the West were to hire the same number of officials as the assignors in the East, then the guys would work far fewer games. The coaches may or may not like that, but it likely would hurt the development, progress, experience, and sharpness of the western officials.

Btw someone asked about the level of play in the West at the HS level.
Does anyone really think that the players coming out of SoCal, Vegas, Seattle, the Bay Area aren't competing with those from the rest of the country? Just look at the D1 scholarship recruits. There are plenty of kids coming from these places. Heck the clear #1 HS team in the country this past season was from Utah and on the prep academy scene Findlay from Vegas has been ranked #1 for much of the past three years.