Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - 65B City Council Meeting Correspondence 42475ti 3/6/2018 Item 65B REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATIONS OF AD HOC COMMITTEE REGARDING WARD No. BASED ELECTIONS AND PROVIDE STAFF DIRECTION ACCORDINGLY Date of Name Representative of InFavor pf In opposition Correspondence RA* of RA*. 1 3/6/2018 Julie Vo Vietnamese American Arts&Letters District-based Association(VALA) elections 2 3/6/2018 Deanna Kitamura Asian American Advancing Justice At larges election 3 3/6/2018 Hang Nguyen Boat People SOS District-based elections *RA -Recommended Action Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Page 1 of 1 March 6, 2018 Dear Mayor Pulido and Members of the City Council: As a board member of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA), a Santa-Ana based community organization, I am submitting this letter to express my support for the city of Santa Ana to switch to a district-based elections system. With a population of 342,930, Santa Ana is the largest remaining city in California that still elects its council members at-large. This system is no longer effective in ensuring true and fair representation for all of Santa Ana's neighborhoods at city hall. Although the City of Santa Ana has made strides in recent years to become a more transparent and inclusive government, the election system continues to marginalize certain sectors of the community geographically. . In the November 2014 election, 11% of the population turned out to vote and decided who would represent each ward for all Santa Ana residents. This is unacceptable and has resulted in certain wards and neighborhoods, especially those in central Santa Ana, to be underrepresented. In some cases, wards are not actually getting to choose their ward representative. In 2012, Santa Ana elected a representative for ward 3 , that wasn't the first or even second choice of ward 3 residents. We have outgrown our ward system. It is ' time to switch to a district-based elections system so that all Santa Ana residents have better representation . and an equal voice at city hall. A district-based elections system will improve diversity, integrity, and accountability in local politics by: • Bringing government closer to the people. District elections improve accountability. If a neighborhood is being ignored or neglected, the residents can vote in a new council member who will better represent them. • Providing fair representation for everyone. In large, diverse cities, district elections make sure that ALL neighborhoods have a representative who understands their needs and fights for them at City Hall. • Taking money out of local politics. District elections help lessen the influence of money in campaigns, and allow community candidates a fair chance to run. A grassroots candidate doesn't , need to spend thousands of dollars on mailers and robocalls in order to reach all the voters in their district. In 2016, over $310,000 was spent by the winning candidates on their campaigns (on average, each winner spent $103,000) and even more by special interest groups backing them. I urge you to switch to a district-based elections system and support all of our residents in having an equal voice at city hall. This is necessary to ensure a healthy democracy and improved quality of life for all Santa ' Ana residents. Let's join the cities that have switched from at-large to district-based elections, including our neighbors in OC, Anaheim and Fullerton, to ensure their growing populations are represented and have'a voice in local government. Sincerely, Julie Vo Board Member Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) (714) 908-6642/julievo@vaala.org ASIAN MAI RICANS S .ADVANCING JUSTICE , LOS ANGELES March 6, 2018 VIA CERTIFIED MAIL Maria D. Huizar Clerk of the Council Office City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, 8th Floor Santa Ana, CA 92701 Dear Ms Huizar, On behalf of individuals who are Asian American voters in Santa Ana,we write to advise the City of Santa Ana(the"City"or"Santa Ana")that its"at-large"election system violates the California Voting Rights Act("CVRA"), Cal.. Elec. Code § 14025 et seq. and that in order to avoid litigation,the City must convert to another election system in compliance with state and ' federal law. t At-large voting is defined by the CVRA as"a method[] of electing members to the governing : ;rl j , body of a political subdivision. , . in which the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect the members." Cal. Elec. Code § 14026. Such systems have historically been used to disenfranchise citizens on account of their race or ethnicity. The CVRA provides a private right of action in such circumstances where an at-large election system 'impairs the ability of a protected class to - elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election."'Sanchez v City of Modesto, 145 Cal. App. 4th 660, 667 (Cal.App, 5th Dist. 2006)(citing § 14027). I In Santa Ana, the at-large election system has impaired the ability of the Asian American community to elect candidates of its choice. According to the 2011-2015 American Community Survey, the Asian American citizen voting population in the City of Santa Ana is approximately`, I 18%--yet no Asian American serves on Santa Ana's City Council. In the 2016 and 201.0 elections for City Council,Asian American candidates ran and lost. These candidates were preferred by Asian American voters but were defeated by non-Asian American voting blocs. This overall absence of any Asian American representatives on the City Council, despite able Asian American candidates and a sizeable Asian American voting population,provides compelling evidence that the City of Santa Ana is in violation of the CVRA. 1 t Pursuant to Cal. Elec. Code § 10010, in order to avoid a legal challenge,the City must pass a i resolution within 45 days outlining its intention to transition from at-large to district-based elections, allowing the Asian American population to elect candidates of their choice or ; t otherwise influence the elections; specific steps it will undertake to facilitate this transition, and ` }t an estimated time frame for doing so, We look forward to your response. Building upon the legacy of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center 1145 Wilshire Blvd.,2nd Floor,Los Angeles,CA 90017 7 213-977.7500 F 213.977-7595 www.advancingjustice-la.org SASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE Nip LOS ANGELES Sincerely, Deanna Kitamura , Asian Americans Advancing Justice cc: Miguel Pulido, Mayor Michele Martinez, Mayor Pro Tern Vicente Sarmiento, Councilmember Jose Solorio,Councilmember David Benavides, Councilmember Juan Villegas,Councilmember Sal Tinajero, Councilmember Raul Godinez II,City Manager City of Santa Ana Mayor&City Council 20 Civic Center Plaza P.O. Box 1988,M31 Santa Ana, CA 92701 Building upon the legacy of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center 1145 Wilshire Blvd.,2nd Floor,Los Angeles,CA 90017 T 213.977-7800 F 213-977-7595 www.advancingjustice-la.org #0,..„.004B p sos Cto elebratingthe 38 Years of Service Community Building Communities.Growing Leaders, http://www.bpsos.org CFC No. 10038 March 6,2018 Dear Mayor Pulido and Members of the City Council: On behalf of BPSOS Center for Community Advancement, we are submitting this letter to express our support for the city of Santa Ana to switch to a district-based elections system. With a population of 342,930,Santa Ana is the largest remaining city in California that still elects its council members at-large. This system is no longer effective in ensuring true and fair representation for all of Santa Ana's neighborhoods at city hall. Although the City of Santa Ana has made strides in recent years to become a more transparent and inclusive government, our election system continues to marginalize certain sectors of the community geographically. In the November 2014 election, 11%of the population turned out to vote and decided who would represent each ward for all Santa Ana residents. This is unacceptable and has resulted in certain wards and neighborhoods, especially those in central Santa Ana,to be underrepresented. In some cases,wards are not actually getting to choose their ward representative. In 2012,Santa Ana elected a representative for ward 3 that wasn't the first or even second choice of ward 3 residents. We have outgrown our ward system. It is time to switch to a district-based elections system so that all Santa Ana residents have better representation and an equal voice at city hall. A district-based elections system will improve diversity, integrity, and accountability in local politics by: • Bringing government closer to the people. District elections improve accountability. If a neighborhood is being ignored or neglected,the residents can vote in a new council member who will better represent them. • Providing fair representation for everyone. In large, diverse cities,district elections make sure that ALL neighborhoods have a representative who understands their needs and fights for them at City Hall. • Taking money out of local politics. District elections help lessen the influence of money in campaigns, and allow community candidates a fair chance to run.A grassroots candidate doesn't need to spend thousands of dollars on mailers and robocalls in order to reach all the voters in their district. In 2016,over$310,000 was spent by the winning candidates on their campaigns(on average, each winner spent$103,000)and even more by special interest groups backing them. We urge you to switch to a district-based elections system and support all of our residents in having an equal voice at city hall. This is necessary to ensure a healthy democracy and improved quality of life for all Santa Ana residents. Let's join the cities that have switched from at-large to district-based elections, including our neighbors in OC, Anaheim and Fullerton,to ensure their growing populations are represented and have a voice in local government. Sincerely, Hang Nguyen Executive Director Hang.nguyen@bpsos.org (714)897-2214 BPSOS Center for Community Advancement,Inc. 1 13950 Milton Ave.,Suite 301 Westminster,CA 92683 1 714.897.2214 1 info@bpsos.org A/IL,.