20130411_Public Commentn
D emocratic Party of Grange County
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WHEREAS Anaheim, with about 350,000 residents, is California's Largest city that elects its
Council members at- large; many smaller cities have already adopted district elections; and
Anaheim's ratio of 67,235 residents per elected Council member is much higher than the four
next largest and next smallest cities, whose average ratio is 44,467 residents per council member;
and
WHEREAS Anaheim has a history of racially /ethnically polarized voting — a distinct group of
Latina voters (almost a third of all voters) consistently votes for different candidates than the
majority, cannot elect even a single City Council member of their choice, and the 125,000 -
person region of "West Anaheim," with a Latino majority, has not had a resident elected to the
City Council since 1998; and
WHEREAS the Anaheim City Council's lack of minority representation has contributed to
disproportionate distribution of city assets — park space, public libraries, community centers, and
more — to areas outside of Latino - majority "West and Central Anaheim "; and its serving the
majority has come at the cost of substantial detriment to its minority residents; therefore
DE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Orange County urges that (1) Anaheim adopt
eight single - member Council districts, each initially representing approximately 44,000
residents, plus a Mayor elected at -large citywide; (2) these districts be drawn by an independent
panel of retired judges, for more equitable and direct representation; (3) City Council candidates
be required to have resided in their district (made it their actual, primary, and voting residence)
for at least six months before their election and during their entire tenure in that office; (4)
election of a district's Council member be limited to voters registered at addresses therein; (5)
the Anaheim City Council place a districting proposal on the ballot in time for districts to be
finalized and then Council members elected by district during the 2014 general election (rather
than let another City Council election violate the California Voting Rights Act and Latino voters'
civil rights); and (6) Anaheim City Council members and Orange County Democratic elected
officials support this resolution publicly and in writing.
200 N. Main St., Mezzanine . Santa Ana, CA 92701 - Phone: 714.835.5158 - Fax: 714.835.3685
www.ocdemocrats.org . Email: info(a)_ocdemocrats.org
FPPC # 742006 • FEC #CO0321943