Quick Take
As Capitola begins its switch to district-based elections, consultants detailed to city councilmembers and residents what the process would entail. The city could be divided into four districts and an elected mayor or five districts with a rotating mayor.
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Capitola leaders and residents got their first glimpse this week of what district-based elections might look like, including what the process would entail and how the community could weigh in.
The decision to move to district-based elections comes as a California law firm threatened to sue the city, alleging that Capitola’s current at-large election system disenfranchises minority communities by diluting the power of Latino voters. Lawyers with Malibu-based Shenkman & Hughes also claimed the current voting system violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.
The firm sent a letter recommending city officials voluntarily begin the process by a May 5 deadline or face a lawsuit.
Shenkman & Hughes claims Capitola’s at-large system dilutes the ability of Latino residents to elect a candidate of their choosing “or otherwise influence the outcome of the city’s council election.” Latinos make up about 26.5% of Capitola’s nearly 10,000 residents, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
Under the current at-large system, candidates for city council are able to run for any open seat. All voters elect who represents those seats.
In district-based elections, city councilmembers represent a specific neighborhood, in which they also must live. Voters can vote for only the candidates representing their district. The cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville use this model to elect city councilmembers. Scotts Valley has at-large elections.
No maps will be drawn until after the second public hearing, scheduled for June 11, city clerk Julia Gautho told elected officials Thursday evening. During those first two hearings, consultants from National Demographics Corporation will take input from the community, Gautho said.
The city created a website where residents can submit questions or comments, or even draft their own maps that could be considered by the demographers.
Demographer Doug Johnson provided councilmembers and residents with an overview of the two ways the districts could be divided: four districts and an elected mayor or five districts with a rotating mayor.
“I do want to emphasize, there’s no right or wrong answer here,” Johnson said. “It all depends on who gets elected.”
There are pros and cons to both plans, Johnson said.
Having an elected mayor could provide a “more consistent and prominent” leader, he said, and would help city staff build a solid working relationship with whoever is elected. There would be no change to how much power a mayor has, Johnson said.
A rotating mayor can encourage “respect and cooperation” among city councilmembers. However, having five districts would mean they would be smaller, making it easier for someone to get elected with only about 300 votes, he said. Capitola’s population is about 10,000. If the city decides to have four districts, each district would have nearly 2,487 residents. In a five-district system, each would have 1,990 residents.
Longtime resident Linda Smith recommended that the city hold additional informational town halls for residents unable to attend Thursday’s city council meeting. In contrast, resident Cheryl Van shared her frustrations with the letter from Shenkman & Hughes, and with the city having to switch to district-based elections.
“This lawsuit is an insult and the allegations can’t be proven,” she said. Van said the districts will divide the city and “create a language of separation” as the process continues.
The changes will have no impact on the upcoming November election. The district system would take effect in 2028.The three city councilmembers who are elected in the upcoming November election will continue to be at-large until the end of their term. Capitola will have a district city council by the 2030 election cycle, Gautho said.
The council will decide on how the districts will be drawn up during the first two public hearings, on May 28 and June 11. The city anticipates approving a map by the end of July.
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