Measure E will make council accountable

DANA ROHRABACHER

I am a strong supporter of Measure E, which would require our City

Council in Huntington Beach to be elected by districts rather than

at-large as it is now. District elections will ensure that our city

government hears the voice of ordinary people who are able to win an

election by walking and talking to voters in their own neighborhoods.

Today, only special interest groups can afford the $100,000 it takes to campaign citywide. In fact, in the last election three of the

winners benefited from more than $112,000 in special interest

funding. The lesser-funded candidates from individual neighborhoods

don’t have a chance against powerful special interest money. This is

why so many neighborhoods in our city haven’t been represented in

more than 20 years.

Imagine if Congress and the state Legislature had at-large

elections. People in Los Angeles would determine who our elected

representatives would be from Orange County. Would they care about

our local problems? Our Founding Fathers were right to insist on

district elections. It has ensured that America is a more accountable

and responsible government.

The current at-large system has produced a string of City Councils

that have been out of touch. The council has spent millions of

dollars on frivolous lawsuits, including more than $250,000 in legal

fees trying to keep the voters from voting on district elections. Our

council was also sued by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. for

collecting $27 million in illegal taxes. Instead of acknowledging the

illegality, the city spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars

staking out a frivolous position only to have the court order the

council to do what it should have done in the first place.

Having a council member from your neighborhood who is accountable

to you is far better that having many council members who aren’t

interested in your neighborhood issues. The opponents claim that your

district representative will only have a say over 20% of the city’s

business. That’s the kind of baloney we’ve learned to expect from our

City Council. Every council member under a district system will be

responsible to vote on all city business. With districts, however,

the residents will be able to hold their representative accountable

to serving the needs of the community.

Finally, just like Gray Davis was recalled for failing to do his

job, we should be able to recall City Council members who fail to do

their job. This will be easier to accomplish with district elections.

Please join me, along with the Huntington Beach Police Officers

Assn., former mayors Jim Silva, Wes Bannister and Don MacAllister and

the 22,000 residents of Huntington Beach who signed a petition to

have district elections in Huntington Beach. We are voting yes on E

for better representation in Huntington Beach.

* DANA ROHRABACHER represents Huntington Beach and the rest of the

46th Congressional District in Congress.