• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact Us
Sunday, May 28, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
The Capistrano Dispatch
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On SJC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SJC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • Dana Point Times
    • San Clemente Times
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SJC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit A Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Announcements
    • Submit An Announcement
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Inside/Outside Home
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
  • SJC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On SJC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SJC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • Dana Point Times
    • San Clemente Times
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SJC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit A Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Announcements
    • Submit An Announcement
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Inside/Outside Home
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
  • SJC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
The Capistrano Dispatch
No Result
View All Result

City Pursues District Elections, Set to Hire Demographer

by Capo Dispatch
February 26, 2016 4:15PM - Updated on February 27, 2016 4:44PM
in EYE ON SJC, News
Phone Scam Targets San Juan Capistrano Water Customers
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Allison Jarrell

At the Feb. 16 ‪San Juan Capistrano City Council meeting, council members unanimously approved transitioning from at-large to district elections before the upcoming Nov. 8 election.

Along with approving the switch, the council directed staff to bring back a district-mapping process that would include at least three community forums to gather input and authorized the city manager to hire a demographer. Community input and the demography work would be used to determine whether to create five districts or four with an elected mayor.

The council’s discussion on Feb. 16—which took all of 20 minutes—was prompted by a voting rights lawsuit filed against the city on Jan. 27, which claims the city’s at-large elections violate the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 and result in “vote dilution for the Latino residents” by denying them “effective political participation in elections.”

Latinos account for about 39 percent of San Juan’s population, and according to city staff, no Latino representatives have been elected to the City Council for at least the last five election cycles.

City Attorney Jeffrey Ballinger said during the meeting that the council first discussed the potential lawsuit filed by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) and San Juan residents Tina Auclair and Louie Camacho on Jan. 5 during closed session. However, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Kevin Shenkman of Shenkman & Hughes, said in an interview that there was no communication from the city after a mid-December letter was sent detailing the CVRA violation, leaving the plaintiffs little choice but to file a complaint.

Ballinger and City Manager Ben Siegel advised the council to initiate the switch to district elections—as many other cities that have been similarly sued have done—in order to avoid costly litigation.

The establishment of districts within the city will shake up the current distribution of council members, with City Councilman Derek Reeve, Mayor Pam Patterson and Mayor Pro Tem Kerry Ferguson living within about a mile of each other west of Del Obispo and north of Camino del Avion.

While no one spoke against the switch to district elections during the meeting, Councilman John Perry noted that depending on the size of the districts, some council members could be elected with very few votes.

The City Council will consider hiring a demographer during its public meeting on Tuesday, March 1. After receiving only one proposal, Siegel and Ballinger are recommending the city hire Doug Johnson of the National Demographics Corporation at a cost of no more than $22,000 from the city’s General Fund.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 5 p.m. and takes place at City Hall, located at 32400 Paseo Adelanto. To view the rest of the agenda, visit www.sanjuancapistrano.org.

Share this:

  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
Tags: California Voting Rights Actcity attorneyCity Councilcity council electionsCity HallCVRAdistrict electionselectionslawsuitNational Demographics CorporationOrange CountySan Juan CapistranoSouthwest Voter Registration Education ProjectSVREP
ShareTweetPin

Capo Dispatch

Related Posts

Otra Mas Celebrates 10th Anniversary with San Juan Community

Otra Mas Celebrates 10th Anniversary with San Juan Community

May 26, 2023 - Updated on May 27, 2023
City Considers Adding Enhancements to Serra Park

City Considers Adding Enhancements to Serra Park

May 26, 2023
On Life and Love After 50: A Night to Remember in Dana Point Harbor

On Life and Love After 50: 2 Senior Men Discuss the Challenges of Senior Dating

May 26, 2023
Adoptable Pet of the Week: Connor

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Connor

May 26, 2023
Next Post
News Rack Lawsuit Resolved

City Rejects LAB Agreement, Expands Search for Lower Rosan Projects

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

The Dispatch Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get The Dispatch delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Current Issue
  • Contact Us
  • San Clemente Times
  • Dana Point Times
  • About Us

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On SJC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SJC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • Dana Point Times
    • San Clemente Times
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SJC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit A Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Announcements
    • Submit An Announcement
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Inside/Outside Home
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
  • SJC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.