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Panel: Anaheim voters should decide whether to elect city council members by district
Joanne Sosa of "Take Back Anaheim" speaks at a recent Anaheim city council meeting.
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Panel: Anaheim voters should decide whether to elect city council members by district
Anaheim voters should decide whether to elect city council members by district, according to a draft recommendation of the city's citizens advisory committee, which will hold its final meeting tomorrow. Read the full report below.
More than half of Anaheim’s residents are Latino, yet the entire city council is white.
After last summer's riots, the ACLU sued the city, saying that Anaheim’s at-large electoral process makes it nearly impossible for Latinos to be elected.
Most city councils elect members from individual districts.
While a judge has been reviewing the ACLU's case, a citizen’s advisory committee has held meetings since last fall. The 10-member panel is appointed by current and former city council members.
Aside from putting district voting on the ballot, the committee’s draft report recommends expanding the city council from 5 to 6 or 8 members, plus the mayor.
The report also says the city should increase voter registration.
The Anaheim City Council will vote on the recommendations at the end of the month, meaning they will be deciding whether to change the very system that got them elected.
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