218 236 | Dana Point is changing how council members are elected, May 17, 2018

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/05/17/dana-point-is-changing-how-council-members-are-elected/
https://archive.fo/3mbn6

Residents in this small seaside town will no longer have a voice in selecting all of their City Council members, beginning with the November election.

Instead, the city is joining a number of other Orange County communities and changing its election process to a by-district system, carving Dana Point into five geographic regions with registered voters of each district choosing a City Council representative.

The change in how Dana Point residents elect their leaders was prompted by the threat of a lawsuit citing alleged violations of the California Voting Rights Act, which is designed to give minority groups greater representation in elections.

Residents of District 1, in which Councilman Joe Muller lives

District 2, in which Mayor Rick Viczorek lives

District 3, in which no council member currently lives, will mark council ballots

Districts 4 and 5 will have seats up for elections. Councilman Paul Wyatt and Lewis both live in District 4.

Councilman John Tomlinson, who lives in District 5, ends his term in November. Viczorek’s term and Muller’s term are also ending.

 

Several Dana Point residents questioned the need for districts in a 6-square-mile community of 33,000 and voiced doubt about whether there has been racially polarized voting with a Hispanic community of only 17.8 percent.

Cities, school districts and other municipal boards throughout Orange County and the state have been challenged, with many deciding to make the change or putting it to a vote of their residents.

Three districts will be voted on in November’s election; the other two will come into play in 2020.