As the city of Garden Grove begins the process of drawing the boundaries for its new district-based election system, residents will be able to attend individual and community meetings to offer input to the city’s hired consultant.
For the week of Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., residents can reserve individual, one-hour appointments with consultant David Ely of Compass Demographics where Ely will answer questions and explain the process, according to a city press release.
The process is the result of the city’s settlement of a lawsuit brought by Garden Grove resident Rickk Montoya, which asserted that the City’s current “at-large” method of electing City Council members violates the California Voting Rights Act.
By the Nov. 2016 election, the city must replace its at-large system with a process in which city council members are nominated and elected from five geographic districts within the city.
As part of the settlement, the city must retain the firm Compass Demographics to assist in developing the district maps.
Reservations for the individual meetings must be made at least three business days in advance by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (714) 741-5035 or by email at districtelections@garden-grove.org.
Three community informational meetings have also been scheduled at the dates and times below:
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
6:30 p.m – 8:30 p.m.
Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center, at Garden Grove Park
13641 Deodara Dr., 92844
Saturday, December 12, 2015
6:30 p.m – 8:30 p.m.
Garden Grove Courtyard Center, at Village Green park
12732 Main St., 92840
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
6:30 p.m – 8:30 p.m.
Kiwanisland, at Kiwanis Club of Garden Grove
9840 Larson Ave., 92844
Additional meetings will be held through March 2016, with the dates and times to be announced at a later date.
For more information, go to the city website.
Contact Thy Vo at tvo@voiceofoc.org or follow her on Twitter @thyanhvo.