Commentary: New district setup would be major shift for Costa Mesa
In response to the threat of a lawsuit alleging that Costa Mesa is non-compliant with the California Voting Rights Act, which helps protect minority populations, Costa Mesa recently underwent a process to establish voting districts to select future council members and replace the current at-large system of five elected representatives.
The city contracted with an outside firm to study the issue and host a series of meetings over the last six weeks to solicit feedback from the community on the districting system. I attended two of these meetings and was encouraged by the participation from many in our city. The meetings produced feedback the demographer used in his final proposals and recommendations to the council.
Two themes emerged and were clearly supported in the public hearings.
One was that a majority supported dividing the city into five districts, which would have kept the number of council members the same.
Second was that a majority seemed against a six-district map with a directly elected mayor, primarily on the belief that one district will have two council members and dilute the representation of the other districts. Also, the cost of adding two council members and a mayoral election will be an unnecessary fiscal burden to the city budget.
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At both public hearings, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer motioned to use the six-district map with an elected mayor on the ballot in November, completely dismissing the community engagement process and recommendations from the experts.
On Tuesday, the motion passed 3-2 in favor of putting the six-district map on November’s ballot. I’d encourage you to watch Tueday’s public hearing online to hear what happened for yourself.
The inevitable transition to voting districts is a major shift for the city. The addition of a directly elected mayor, if approved by voters this fall, adds complexity to the issue and may lead to confusion on the ballot. If voted down, denial of the districting system could lead to further litigation for the city.
This process has highlighted many of the reasons why districting will be good for our city. I believe that any of the proposed district maps are better than our current at-large system and offer opportunities for collaboration and representation throughout the city.
I do not agree with the decision of the council but I will support it on the ballot in November. I do not wish to see our city enter into litigation over this issue, further complicating the process.
Our voices will be heard the loudest this November when we elect new council members. I look forward to the changes that will bring.
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KETURAH KENNEDY is a Costa Mesa resident and executive director of Mika Community Development Corp.