November plan includes adding two south Oxnard officials to City Council
In November, two new council members will be elected in Oxnard to represent the south side of town according to a plan passed unanimously on Tuesday.
November plan includes adding two south Oxnard officials to City Council In November, two new council members will be elected in Oxnard to represent the south side of town according to a plan passed unanimously on Tuesday. Check out this story on vcstar.com: https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/02/21/november-plan-includes-adding-two-south-oxnard-officials-city-council/359774002/
Wendy Leung, wendy.leung@vcstar.com, 805-437-0339 Published 4:23 p.m. PT Feb. 21, 2018
The Oxnard City Council has reached an agreement on a district elections map known as 635.(Photo: COURTESY OF CITY OF OXNARD)
In November, two new City Council members will be elected in Oxnard to represent the south side of town, according to a plan passed unanimously on Tuesday that would increase the council to seven members.
The council also agreed to a map that divides the city into six districts, with two of them in south Oxnard. The map, drafted by the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, will be included in an ordinance to be voted on next week that would transition the city to electing council members by district rather than at-large.
Councilman Oscar Madrigal, a vocal supporter of a district system and a map identified as 635, said this will lead to better representation.
"It gets people involved in the city of Oxnard. It is very difficult to get involved in something if you feel that your voice is not being heard," Madrigal said. "This gives a chance for many different people who never thought they would ever run for council, run for council."
If the district system is approved during the first reading on Feb. 27 and second reading on March 6, it would be the first major change to the city's election system since 1973. That was when voters decided to have an elected mayor and for the mayor to serve two-year terms.
But these expected changes to the election system will be much bigger. Under a district system, voters will pick a council member who lives in their area of the city. The council will go from having five members to seven and the mayor will continue to be an at-large position.
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According to Map 635, each of the four current members reside in separate districts. In November, council election for Districts 1, 2, 5 and 6 will be on the ballot. Council members Perello and Ramirez live in Districts 1 and 2, respectively.
South Oxnard's Districts 5 and 6 will be the two new seats on the council.
In November, the council member in District 5 will be elected to a four-year term but the council member in District 6 will be elected to a two-year term. The District 6 council member will be elected to four-year terms starting in 2020. This way, three council members will be up for election in every cycle.
The map puts the following neighborhoods into these six districts:
District 1: Oxnard Dunes, Oxnard Shores, Hollywood by the Sea, Channel Islands, Sea View Estates, Via Marina, Sea Air, Cabrillo, Victoria Estates, Golf Course, Windsor North River Ridge and a portion of South Bank
District 2: North Vineyard Commercial Area, RiverPark, El Rio West, Wagon Wheel, Sierra Linda, Orchard, Carriage Square, Fremont North, Auto Center, and portions of South Bank, Fremont South and Wilson
District 3: Rio Lindo, West Village, La Colonia, Rose Park, East Village and Rice Avenue Commercial Area
District 4: Marina West, Hobson Park West and East, Pacific Avenue Commercial Area, Kamala Park, Bartolo Square North and South, Five Points Northeast and portions of Fremont South and Wilson
District 5: Lemonwood Eastmont, Diamond Bar, College Estates, College Park, Mar Vista, Oxnard Pacific, Tierra Vista, Terrace Estates, Pleasant Valley Estates and Cypress
District 6: Cal-Gisler, Redwood, Bryce Canyon North and South, Blackstock North and South, Pleasant Valley Village and Southwinds
In 2020, Districts 3, 4 and 6 will be up for election. Madrigal and Councilman Bryan MacDonald live in Districts 3 and 4, respectively.
The recall special election on May 1 could complicate matters. The current council members live in separate districts, but that could change if new members are picked in the special election.
A candidate who succeeds in replacing an incumbent will serve the remainder of the incumbent's term and then must run in their residential district.
For example, if candidate Miguel Martinez, who is running for Madrigal's seat, wins in the recall election, he will serve the remainder of Madrigal's term, which ends 2020. Martinez lives in District 2 while Madrigal lives in District 3. In 2020, District 3 is up for election, which means Martinez would not be able to run. He must run when District 2 is up, which is 2018 and 2022.
"This gives a chance for many different people who never thought they would ever run for council, run for council."
Councilman Oscar Madrigal
Although the council voted unanimously for the district elections proposal, Perello said he will ultimately agree to it only under the condition that it go for a public vote.
According to City Attorney Stephen Fischer, if the issue goes for a vote and voters do not support it, the city would likely be sued.
The reason the city is undergoing a lengthy public participating process on district elections is that it is under threat of a potential lawsuit. According to Oxnard resident Arthur "AJ" Valenzuela, the city is in violation of the state voting rights act for having at-large elections.
If the city were to put the issue on the ballot, it would be too late to get it on the June primary ballot. The earliest it could appear before voters would be in November unless the city opts for a special election. Demographer Doug Johnson told the council that even if the city were to get it on the June ballot, it would likely be sued before June.
But Perello, a longtime supporter of district elections, believes the issue is far too important for the council to decide alone.
"I'm still going to push for a vote of the people," Perello said. "One person bringing a lawsuit against the city of Oxnard on this is equivalent to blackmail, and I don't think our city should cater to that."
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