Coin flip settles first district in Capitola’s shift to neighborhood elections

In the middle of discussing Capitola’s transition to district-based elections, city leaders were stuck on how to select which district would be up for grabs first in two years. 

“So, we have two seats that are up in 2028,” Councilmember Susan Westman said Thursday evening. “One of them will be an elected mayor and one of them will be a district that will run for election.”

“How do we decide which is which? Do we flip a coin?” she asked.

The five-member city council had narrowed it down to two districts — District 2 and 3 — but was still undecided which seat would go before voters first in 2028, along with the elected mayor position.

Before flipping the 50-cent coin provided by a city staff member, Mayor Margaux Morgan said that the decision could go either way and that she had “not practiced” her coin flipping skills prior to the meeting. 

“Just pretend like you’re starting an NFL game,” said Westman. “You flip a coin and it lands on the ground, and whatever it is on the ground is what it is.” 

The coin landed heads up, signifying that the District 3 neighborhood would be first. The district runs along the coast — including Grand Avenue, Capitola Beach and the wharf — and stretches inland toward Highway 1, bordered by Wharf Road. 

The decision Thursday night was part of a monthslong process by city leaders to make the move to district-based elections, after a Southern California law firm threatened to sue the city, alleging that its current at-large system disenfranchises minority communities by diluting the power of Latino voters. Lawyers with Malibu-based Shenkman & Hughes also claimed that the current voting system violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001. 

The firm had sent a letter recommending that city officials voluntarily begin the process of moving to district-based elections by a May 5 deadline or face a lawsuit. 

Shenkman & Hughes claimed 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 city’s at-large system, candidates for the five-member city council were able to run for any open seat, with all voters in the city electing who represents those seats.

In district-based elections, city councilmembers represent a specific area, where 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 still has at-large elections for its council seats. 

Last month, Capitola city leaders unanimously approved creating a system of four districts and an elected mayor with a two-year term, which would begin with the 2028 election cycle. 

On Thursday night, the city council selected its preferred districting map along with deciding how it will transition to the new system. The map created by consultants at National Demographics Corporation was “clean and clear,” with easily identifiable boundaries, and avoids “major divisions of the community,” according to Councilmember Melinda Orbach.  

Capitola residents will vote for their first elected mayor in the November 2028 election, and residents living in District 3 will select their representative. During the 2030 election cycle, the seats for Districts 1, 2 and 4 will be up for election. 

Candidates running in this year’s general election in November will still be voted on under the at-large system and will serve a four year-term, according to demographer Doug Johnson. 

The city council will formally adopt its new district map and additional changes, such as the elected mayor position, at its Aug. 27 meeting. Following the adoption of a district-based voting system, the city will also begin to look at residency, council vacancy and term limit policies. 

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