S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY
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July 3 – July 9, 2020 Volume XLIII, Issue 48
Appeals Court Issues Tentative Ruling in Voting Rights Case
Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District issues tentative ruling in Pico Neighborhood Association, et al. v. City of Santa Monica By Sam Catanzaro
A tentative ruling has been issued in the City of Santa Monica’s appeal of a voting rights case. At the start of the oral arguments Tuesday, the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District judges announced their tentative ruling in favor of the City of Santa Monica in the case Pico Neighborhood Association, et al. v. City of Santa Monica. The tentative ruling overturns a trial court’s order that directed Santa Monica to switch to district-based elections. “We believe the tentative ruling is correct and are confident that following oral argument scheduled for June 30 it will become final,” said City Spokeswoman Constance Farrell. “Santa Monica’s at-large City Council election system, originally chosen and twice validated by Santa Monica voters, complies with the law. Santa Monica is committed to fair and just electoral representation for every member of our community. The at-large election system was neither established nor maintained for a discriminatory purpose, has repeatedly elected candidates preferred by Latino voters, and has not diluted Latino voting power. In contrast, the districts drawn by the plaintiffs
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
Santa Monica City Hall.
and adopted by the trial court would dilute Latino voting power.” The case filed by plaintiffs Pico Neighborhood Association, Maria Loya and Advocates for Malibu Public Schools alleges that Santa Monica’s at-large election system dilutes Latino voting power in violation of
the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and discriminates against Latino voters in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution. In a ruling released February 15, 2019, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos ordered that all future elections
for seats on the Santa Monica City Council be based on a seven-district map drawn by an expert for the plaintiffs. The City then appealed this decision. This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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