Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/santa-ana-district-elections/)
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 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.
The city is seeking court orders forcing the mayor to sign paperwork to allow the measure to proceed onto the June ballot.
The city is seeking a court order to force Mayor Miguel Pulido to sign paperwork allowing a June ballot measure in which voters could change Santa Ana’s election system to district-based voting. The case could be filed in Superior Court as soon as Tuesday.
The county’s chief elections official rejected a last-ditch effort to put the district elections on the ballot, after the mayor refused to sign the necessary paperwork. A majority of council members also apparently held an illegal strategy meeting via group text messages.
After an emotional and contentious debate Tuesday, council members voted 4-3 to put the districting issue to voters in June. Mayor Miguel Pulido, who opposes the measure, apparently has refused to sign the paperwork needed to put the measure on the ballot.
City Council members appear likely to place the question on the ballot during their Tuesday night meeting.