Anaheim Groups Push Creation of Council Districts

Several community groups who advocate creating single-member City Council districts said Wednesday that they will begin a petition drive to place the issue before voters this fall, after the council rejected such a plan Tuesday night.

“This is definitely a step toward participatory democracy,” said local attorney Matthew Bogoshian, who is leading the citywide drive. “District elections are a vent for frustrations in the community. Let’s just get it out there and let the people decide.”

Bogoshian said that he has pledges of support from Los Amigos, a Latino business group and downtown homeowners organized under the name Anaheim Home, whose membership has long called for a city charter amendment on council elections.

“This is about accountability and accessibility in city government,” Bogoshian said.

Although little more than 24-hours-old, the movement also has the endorsements of Mayor Fred Hunter and Councilman William D. Ehrle, both of whom were on the losing side of a split vote Tuesday that kept the measure off the ballot.

“This issue is not dead yet,” Hunter said. “There are enough people out there concerned about this. Let’s let the voters decide.”

If the issue is to win a place on the November ballot, City Clerk Leonora Sohl said petition organizers must gather the signatures of at least 10,000 Anaheim registered voters by Aug. 7.

In an open letter to the City Council, Anaheim Home members have asked that the current at-large election system be abolished “to bring more representative democracy to our government.”

“We urge this change in order to make Anaheim’s City Council more accountable and accessible to the residents of this city,” the group’s letter stated. “District elections would also reduce campaign costs and enable council members to be even more responsive to their constituents.”

The districting issue was brought before the council last month by Ehrle, who said the plan merited discussion because of the city’s changing demographics. With Latinos now representing about 30% of the city’s population, Ehrle said single-member districts would allow Latinos and other minorities greater access to elective office in the city.

Amin David of Los Amigos said Wednesday that the benefits of a districting system cut across ethnic lines.