Some of you might have seen the op-ed in the OC Register on Sunday by Anaheim City Councilwoman Kris Murray. This unedited version of that op-ed came over the wire to OC Political from Councilwoman Murray’s office on Sunday…
Over the past several weeks, there has been a very public dialogue questioning how the City of Anaheim is governed and whether the current system should be changed. The media stories following the city’s special meeting on August 8 were rife with sensational headlines claiming that the Council majority had rejected or blocked an initiative that would change the city’s charter to elect council seats by districts from the current at-large system. This is patently false.
In early June, the city was sued by the ACLU claiming that Anaheim is not in compliance with the California Voters Rights Act (CVRA). The city was in the process of responding to that litigation when the officer involved shootings of two suspected gang members in late July ignited the recent unrest in our streets.
There are still many questions to be answered surrounding those shootings and several independent investigations are already underway to do so. Although some have asserted that there may be a correlation between the two issues, the city would be irresponsible to undertake wholesale change of its entire electoral system without first providing an opportunity for extensive citizen dialogue, careful legal analysis, and consideration of the options available to meet voters’ concerns for fair representation. Read the rest of this entry »
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