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Livermore City Council held the second public hearing earlier this month for the city’s new City Council districts, a necessary step forward in the transition from its current at-large elections system.
The Aug. 13 meeting fielded input on the makeup of the four districts that will be drawn in coming months in response to allegations that the city’s current system violates the California Voting Rights Act. The initial draft district maps are set to be released for public review next week.
Council members and audience members shared similar sentiments: a district-based elections system is unwanted in Livermore, in fear of dividing the community and its interests, but if the transition must happen, then the city and community members are committed to drawing districts responsibly.
“Every single district is gonna be looking at its own priorities, rather than what the priorities of the community are,” Mayor John Marchand said during the hearing. “This isn’t something we want to do. But we want to make sure we have control over this (drawing the districts), and that we do it right.”
Livermore’s shift from an at-large voting system to district-based elections occurred in response to a potential lawsuit. Kevin Shenkman, representing Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, sent a letter to the city in May arguing that Livermore’s at-large elections violates the California Voting Rights Act and that if Livermore did not transition its voting system, the city would be sued. The city of Palmdale lost a similar lawsuit in 2012.
Shenkman cited the lack of diversity on the Livermore council, stating that the city’s “at-large system dilutes the ability of Latinos (a “protected class”) to elect the candidates of their choice or otherwise influence the outcome of the City’s Council elections.”
The city agreed to move forward with transitioning to district-based council elections after receiving the pre-lawsuit letter, and the council held its first public hearing on district mapping last month.
The potential district maps are set to be drafted by next Friday, with a public hearing to receive input on the draft districts maps on Sept. 10.
Editor’s note: Anumita Kaur is a freelance writer for the Pleasanton Weekly.
Editor’s note: Anumita Kaur is a freelance writer for the Pleasanton Weekly.
“Every single district is gonna be looking at its own priorities, rather than what the priorities of the community are,”
.. When I go to the polls, any poll, there’s an assumption that I will vote the issues that are relevant to me. I get the opportunity to vote in my best interests because that’s the purpose of being able to vote. I don’t go to the polls to vote somebody else’s priorities. I go to the polls to vote my priorities.
We need diversity of though and ideas, I don’t think anyone would argue that.
This approach seems like the wrong way to get it though. Seems more divisive in a time and climate where that is getting worse, not better.