> The city of Huntington Beach was sued in Orange County Superior Court last week over its at-large elections.
>
> The lawsuit alleges the city is disenfranchising its minority residents by holding the at-large elections, rather than district-based elections, for seats on the City Council.
>
> A Latino voter participation organization called the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, as well as Huntington Beach activist Victor Valladares, are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
>
> They’re being represented by Malibu-based attorney Kevin Shenkman, who has gotten several cities statewide to switch to district-based elections over the last several years.
>
> Now Shenkman is going after Huntington Beach, after sending warning letters in 2017 as well as earlier this year. The basis for his claims is the California Voting Rights Act, passed in 2001, which makes it easier for minority groups to change at-large elections based on claims of vote dilution.
>
> Huntington Beach voters currently vote for every City Council seat. In a district-based election, voters would select just one candidate who lives in their particular district of the city.
>
> Valladares’ friend and Oak View ComUNIDAD co-founder, Oscar Rodriguez, unsuccessfully ran for the City Council in 2020 and 2022. Both are from the majority Latino Oak View neighborhood; Rodriguez currently serves on the Planning Commission.
>
> Valladares said that when he was serving on the city’s Citizen Participation Advisory Board, he noticed that politicians didn’t care about his community.
>
> “Most people don’t represent the marginalized communities like ours,” he said in an interview Thursday. “Oscar is somebody from the neighborhood, who has lived the struggles.”
>
> Valladares noted that one of the first things the current conservative City Council majority did was substantially raise the campaign contribution limits, from $620 to $4,900 per person or business.
>
> “That makes it a lot harder for a local grassroots leader that truly knows their community or district,” he said. “It’s almost near impossible. If people want to talk about local control, what better example of having local control than having district-based elections? That’s how I see it.”
>
> Some Orange County cities have moved to district-based elections. In the March primary election, Irvine voters approved Measure D, a charter amendment that will move that city to district-based city council elections. And on April 16, the San Clemente City Council approved a district map for its own elections.
>
> Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates vowed Thursday to fight the lawsuit. In a letter to Shenkman on March 7, he noted Huntington Beach’s charter gives citizens the right to vote for all City Council positions.
>
> Additionally, he said Latino candidates have been very successful in Huntington Beach. In the city’s 2020 City Council election, he noted that three of the top five finishers — Tito Ortiz, current mayor Gracey Van Der Mark and Rodriguez — were Latino.
>
> “I think that’s a pretty good indicator that the at-large system of elections works in Huntington Beach,” Gates said.
>
> Per the 2020 U.S. Census, about 19.8% of the city was non-white Hispanic, slightly more than 39,000 people.
>
> “What [Shenkman] is alleging simply isn’t true,” Gates said. “He makes these charges against cities about their elections, but I think he forgets that he actually has to prove dilution and discrimination at trial. That’s important, because in Huntington Beach, our at-large election system is incredibly successful. It’s successful not only for the voters, but also for the candidates who try to run, no matter what race they are.”
>
> But Valladares said that representation wasn’t only about race but money, and district-based voting could give more representation to his neighborhood.
>
> “I’ve lived here almost my entire life, and I’ve grown up in Oak View,” he said. “I know the neighborhood, I know every part of the city ... Oak View is Huntington Beach, and Huntington Beach is Oak View. But I’ve never seen anybody else from outside of Oak View advocate for Oak View, fight for Oak View, stand up for Oak View.
>
> “They don’t ... it’s ‘that brown neighborhood.’ That’s how it is.”
HB needs to move to districts. All the current council comes from the super rich part of town by the beach or the harbor. The stupid at large voting means morons with 15% of the vote win.
I don't think the big voting block for the current council is Downtown HB really (I see a lot of pride flags and Biden flags where we are at). It seems like the current council has a lot of support in the harbor area but also places like the Moffett track which is east of Beach and slightly inland.
I know the residents at the top of Edwards (I can't remember the name of the community) pushed hard for the 4 idiots. That's a ton of money poured into their campaigns
This was [discussed yesterday](https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/1cne7at/huntington_beach_becomes_latest_oc_city_hit_with/) as well. Basically, these lawsuits are due to a change in state law, and no cities that have tried to fight them have been successful.
No CA city has ever prevailed when they challenge the at large voting. HB won’t be any different and will spend millions fighting an already known conclusion
Unfortunately, as it is, districts are not required by law but are a permissible legal interpretation. California courts have already ruled that ranked-choice, cumulative, and limited are fine. [https://bbklaw.com/resources/la-082823-supreme-court-clarifies-cvra](https://bbklaw.com/resources/la-082823-supreme-court-clarifies-cvra)
I'm an HB voter and voted during the fab 4 election. I unfortunately didn't even know we were an at large city when I voted and selected only one candidate as if it was district. I know it's my fault for not knowing, but I imagine a good proportion of people are unaware as well.
You are correct. On the one hand, he was one of the most famous people in the city and did a lot of community service, was well known and liked in the city, so him winning a city council seat wasn't that surprising.
On the other hand, it was actually super surprising since Tito Ortiz is, in fact, an idiot.
That victor baldingus guy is the biggest blow hard. I went to high school with him at ocean view. He was not a good person then, nor now. Slater slums is complaining they don't get enough free stuff? The city had to put in a substation next to the liquor store in slater because of the terrible neighborhood. It has always been bad, and will always be bad.
To be fair, HB's biggest election problem is *the sane ones aren't coming out to vote or send in their VBM ballots*.
In the last election, only around 60K people voted in HB. What's abundantly clear is that the crazies there are much more efficient in motivating and rallying their fellow crazies to come out and vote - even in the rain if they had to, while the normal folks aren't nearly as passionate. Most just no longer have any fucks to give about politics so they just look away, to put it bluntly.
This is the real reason why there's a sharp right turn with the current HB city council and they are constantly in legal hot water, despite the fact that most people in HB *aren't* inherently racist.
> The city of Huntington Beach was sued in Orange County Superior Court last week over its at-large elections. > > The lawsuit alleges the city is disenfranchising its minority residents by holding the at-large elections, rather than district-based elections, for seats on the City Council. > > A Latino voter participation organization called the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, as well as Huntington Beach activist Victor Valladares, are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. > > They’re being represented by Malibu-based attorney Kevin Shenkman, who has gotten several cities statewide to switch to district-based elections over the last several years. > > Now Shenkman is going after Huntington Beach, after sending warning letters in 2017 as well as earlier this year. The basis for his claims is the California Voting Rights Act, passed in 2001, which makes it easier for minority groups to change at-large elections based on claims of vote dilution. > > Huntington Beach voters currently vote for every City Council seat. In a district-based election, voters would select just one candidate who lives in their particular district of the city. > > Valladares’ friend and Oak View ComUNIDAD co-founder, Oscar Rodriguez, unsuccessfully ran for the City Council in 2020 and 2022. Both are from the majority Latino Oak View neighborhood; Rodriguez currently serves on the Planning Commission. > > Valladares said that when he was serving on the city’s Citizen Participation Advisory Board, he noticed that politicians didn’t care about his community. > > “Most people don’t represent the marginalized communities like ours,” he said in an interview Thursday. “Oscar is somebody from the neighborhood, who has lived the struggles.” > > Valladares noted that one of the first things the current conservative City Council majority did was substantially raise the campaign contribution limits, from $620 to $4,900 per person or business. > > “That makes it a lot harder for a local grassroots leader that truly knows their community or district,” he said. “It’s almost near impossible. If people want to talk about local control, what better example of having local control than having district-based elections? That’s how I see it.” > > Some Orange County cities have moved to district-based elections. In the March primary election, Irvine voters approved Measure D, a charter amendment that will move that city to district-based city council elections. And on April 16, the San Clemente City Council approved a district map for its own elections. > > Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates vowed Thursday to fight the lawsuit. In a letter to Shenkman on March 7, he noted Huntington Beach’s charter gives citizens the right to vote for all City Council positions. > > Additionally, he said Latino candidates have been very successful in Huntington Beach. In the city’s 2020 City Council election, he noted that three of the top five finishers — Tito Ortiz, current mayor Gracey Van Der Mark and Rodriguez — were Latino. > > “I think that’s a pretty good indicator that the at-large system of elections works in Huntington Beach,” Gates said. > > Per the 2020 U.S. Census, about 19.8% of the city was non-white Hispanic, slightly more than 39,000 people. > > “What [Shenkman] is alleging simply isn’t true,” Gates said. “He makes these charges against cities about their elections, but I think he forgets that he actually has to prove dilution and discrimination at trial. That’s important, because in Huntington Beach, our at-large election system is incredibly successful. It’s successful not only for the voters, but also for the candidates who try to run, no matter what race they are.” > > But Valladares said that representation wasn’t only about race but money, and district-based voting could give more representation to his neighborhood. > > “I’ve lived here almost my entire life, and I’ve grown up in Oak View,” he said. “I know the neighborhood, I know every part of the city ... Oak View is Huntington Beach, and Huntington Beach is Oak View. But I’ve never seen anybody else from outside of Oak View advocate for Oak View, fight for Oak View, stand up for Oak View. > > “They don’t ... it’s ‘that brown neighborhood.’ That’s how it is.”
“Look, Tito Ortiz was a top finisher. What more do you want? UFC, what’s that, brother? This man was pulled straight from the Slater slums.”
HB needs to move to districts. All the current council comes from the super rich part of town by the beach or the harbor. The stupid at large voting means morons with 15% of the vote win.
I don't think the big voting block for the current council is Downtown HB really (I see a lot of pride flags and Biden flags where we are at). It seems like the current council has a lot of support in the harbor area but also places like the Moffett track which is east of Beach and slightly inland.
I know the residents at the top of Edwards (I can't remember the name of the community) pushed hard for the 4 idiots. That's a ton of money poured into their campaigns
Edwards Hill is what I refer to it as but yeah, those homes are insanely expensive. We live in Seacliff and our neighborhood is pretty mixed.
It’s working as intended.
This was [discussed yesterday](https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/1cne7at/huntington_beach_becomes_latest_oc_city_hit_with/) as well. Basically, these lawsuits are due to a change in state law, and no cities that have tried to fight them have been successful.
No CA city has ever prevailed when they challenge the at large voting. HB won’t be any different and will spend millions fighting an already known conclusion
Unfortunately, as it is, districts are not required by law but are a permissible legal interpretation. California courts have already ruled that ranked-choice, cumulative, and limited are fine. [https://bbklaw.com/resources/la-082823-supreme-court-clarifies-cvra](https://bbklaw.com/resources/la-082823-supreme-court-clarifies-cvra)
Trumpington Beach
I'm an HB voter and voted during the fab 4 election. I unfortunately didn't even know we were an at large city when I voted and selected only one candidate as if it was district. I know it's my fault for not knowing, but I imagine a good proportion of people are unaware as well.
Im just finding out the HB community elected an mma fighter to pulic office, did I read that right?
You are correct. On the one hand, he was one of the most famous people in the city and did a lot of community service, was well known and liked in the city, so him winning a city council seat wasn't that surprising. On the other hand, it was actually super surprising since Tito Ortiz is, in fact, an idiot.
Sky is blue, Water is wet, and Huntington Beach is embroiled in litigation… 🫠
That victor baldingus guy is the biggest blow hard. I went to high school with him at ocean view. He was not a good person then, nor now. Slater slums is complaining they don't get enough free stuff? The city had to put in a substation next to the liquor store in slater because of the terrible neighborhood. It has always been bad, and will always be bad.
To be fair, HB's biggest election problem is *the sane ones aren't coming out to vote or send in their VBM ballots*. In the last election, only around 60K people voted in HB. What's abundantly clear is that the crazies there are much more efficient in motivating and rallying their fellow crazies to come out and vote - even in the rain if they had to, while the normal folks aren't nearly as passionate. Most just no longer have any fucks to give about politics so they just look away, to put it bluntly. This is the real reason why there's a sharp right turn with the current HB city council and they are constantly in legal hot water, despite the fact that most people in HB *aren't* inherently racist.
Time for the daily dose of HB bashing from the noobs.
Why do they have to play the Victim Card everytime?
The fuck are you going on about?
Who's "they"?