FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Diana Moreno
January 5, 2024 (714) 392-7542
Cypress to Consider Initiating Transition to By-District Elections at its January 8 Meeting; Residents Encouraged to Attend
(Cypress, CA) The Cypress City Council will consider initiating the transition to by-district elections on January 8 and encourages residents to attend its meeting and participate in the discussion. This comes after years of legal wrangling, public outreach, and numerous meetings in response to a lawsuit alleging that the City’s at-large election system dilutes the opportunity of Asian American voters [a “protected class”] to elect candidates of their choice or influence the outcome of City Council elections.
If the City Council approves the transition to by-district elections, it will schedule public hearings to gather input on electoral maps for the 2024 election that will split Cypress into five districts.
The by-district elections the lawsuit seeks to impose on Cypress limits residents to voting for one Council Member every four years from the district in which they reside. This new by-district election system would deprive voters of the opportunity to select all members of the City Council, a right that Cypress residents have enjoyed throughout the City’s history.
Residents are encouraged to participate in the City Council’s January 8 deliberations and upcoming public hearings on this important issue. The terms of the transition to by-district elections will be available later this week at www.cypressca.org/government/city-council-meetings.
In September 2021, Cypress residents Malini Nagpal and Kathryn Shapiro, represented by Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP), a Texas-based Latino voter registration non-profit, asserted that the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) prohibits Cypress’ use of an at-large election in a political subdivision arguing it impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or otherwise influence the outcome of an election. Adopted in 2001, the CVRA has been employed across California to coerce cities and other small local governments to adopt by-district elections. To date, no city has been able to maintain an at-large election system after a CVRA challenge.
In response to the plaintiffs’ assertions, the Cypress City Council proactively conducted community outreach on the City’s election system. Through public forums and a survey, residents made it clear they preferred an at-large election system that ensures their right to vote for all five Council Members.
In July 2022, despite their neighbor’s preference for maintaining the at-large election system that the City has used since its incorporation in 1956, Nagpal, Shapiro and SVREP sued to force Cypress into by-district elections. Honoring residents’ input from the community outreach the City conducted, the City Council has defended Cypress’ at-large election system while acknowledging that no city has ever prevailed against a CVRA lawsuit.
The January 8 City Council meeting will begin at 6 PM in the Council Chambers. Residents can attend the meeting in person or participate virtually using the information provided below.
Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9182237544138617688
Dial-in number: (562) 247-8422
Access Code: 227-900-209
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