Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/district-elections/)
Councilman Mike Alvarez’s reelection bid apparently has no objections from City Hall officials, who have been mum on looming legal questions.
The Santa Ana City Council again delayed deciding if city voters in November will get to vote on whether they want to switch from at-large city council elections to district-based elections.
The suit seeks to ban the city from holding any more at-large elections for City Council members, and require the city to adopt “fairly constituted districts” that don’t dilute Asian American voting power.
The council also may ask voters to change the city charter to add punishments for a mayor if he or she doesn’t sign ordinances and resolutions approved by a majority of the seven-member council.
The effort to have district elections in place for November seems to have been killed, according to Councilman Vicente Sarmiento, who supports the proposed voting system change.
A proposed June ballot measure on Santa Ana district elections appeared less likely Monday to make it to the ballot, with Mayor Miguel Pulido increasing his legal action against it and little time left for the City Council members who support the measure to ask the courts to put it on the ballot.
It was unclear Friday whether the measure will go before voters in June. The ruling left a potential door open for further round of legal arguments by city officials and the mayor.
Mission Viejo has been sued for its admitted violation of state voting law after failing to switch its city council to district elections.
The city is seeking court orders forcing the mayor to sign paperwork to allow the measure to proceed onto the June ballot.
Mayor declares city safe from a law suit over electing city council members by district. But there is confusion over what actually happened.