Murrieta Begins Process Of Devising Districts For Future Elections

MURRIETA, CA — The Murrieta City Council Tuesday evening will hold the first of four public hearings on establishing districts for future council elections to avoid litigation alleging that the current process of at-large elections puts Hispanic voters at a disadvantage.

Last week, the council approved a resolution of intention to move toward district-by-district voting.

Currently, the city's five council members — one of whom also serves as mayor on a yearly rotating basis — are elected in citywide elections in which the highest vote-getters win seats.

In March, Malibu-based law firm Shenkman & Hughes sent a letter to the city, putting it on notice of an intent to sue on behalf of minority voters, specifically Hispanic residents, because they qualify as a "protected class" under the California Voting Rights Act and are at a disadvantage in the citywide election process.

According to documents posted to the council agenda by the Murrieta City Attorney's Office, the firm gave the council a window to initiate districting, as provided in the CVRA.

Choosing to challenge the lawsuit would cost anywhere from $600,000 to $1 million, the city's lawyers said, and even a court victory would not guarantee that another suit wouldn't be filed in the near future, prompting the council to take the path of least resistance.

Setting up a district-based voting system will require mapping boundaries based on factors outlined in the Federal Voting Rights Act. According to the city attorneys, it will be necessary to shape each district to fit roughly equal populations, while "meaningfully engaging voters in the process," and ensuring that a "community of interest" is not divided in establishing boundaries.

A community of interest has been defined by the courts as a geographic location, such as a neighborhood, with "shared interests, views and characteristics," the city attorney's office stated.

Tuesday evening's public hearing will focus on how to determine districts' composition, and hiring a demographer and map-maker.

To avoid litigation, the city must complete the districting process in 90 days. Additional public hearings are scheduled on June 6, June 20 and July 18.

Attorneys have advised the city to adopt a resolution cementing the practice of district-by-district voting no later than Aug. 1.

Officials estimated a two-year cycle for normalizing district-by- district voting, with a complete phase-out of at-large elections in the fall of 2020.

The cost of converting shouldn't exceed $30,000, officials said.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone