City Council Dashes Hopes for Unity in Santa Paula

After the City Council spent more than 30 minutes haggling over their next mayor Monday, the hopes that Santa Paula’s politics as usual would end started to dissipate.

Even with two new members--both of whom campaigned on promises of unifying the council and mending fences--the panel squabbled before finally choosing Donald Johnson as mayor in a 3-2 vote.

The council also elected newcomer Ray Luna as vice mayor, on an officially unanimous vote. But in reality, it too was marked by squabbling and confusion. Councilwoman Laura Flores Espinosa and her newly elected ally, Councilman John Procter, thought they had cast votes for Procter for vice mayor. Johnson, however, explained tersely that, because of a procedural technicality, they had actually voted for Luna.

For those who thought things might be starting to change in this city of 27,000, Monday’s meeting proved an unsettling debut for the new council. Although Santa Paula has a majority of Latino residents, its council has been dominated 4 to 1 by an established group of white politicians, one reason it faces a lawsuit by U.S. Department of Justice over its system of electing council members.

An audience of 150, heavy with Espinosa’s supporters, was clearly disappointed by the bickering and Espinosa not being chosen mayor. It also saw signs of business as usual, as Luna voted with “old guard” members Johnson and Richard Cook.

Robert Borrego, president of the Santa Paula Latino Town Hall, called the council an embarrassment to the community and said residents won’t forget the evening’s votes.

“I’ve become accustomed to not expecting much from this City Council, and you didn’t disappoint me tonight,” Borrego said. “Whatever you expect to accomplish in the next two years or four years, you’re going to have a heck of a time, based on what you’ve done tonight.”

Luna, Cook and Johnson voted against Espinosa’s request for public comment before choosing a mayor, and they later voted together to make Johnson mayor.

That may mean the city will keep fighting the federal suit instead of drawing new lines to elect council members by districts. Luna wants to fight the suit, as do Cook and Johnson. Procter and Espinosa say cash-strapped Santa Paula should settle and move on.

Some observers thought the results of the Nov. 7 election would soothe city politics. Voters ousted incumbent Jim Garfield by a wide margin, and Councilwoman Robin Sullivan left for an unsuccessful state Assembly campaign. Their departures and the passage of Measure I, a slow -growth ballot initiative, led some to say the results showed unhappiness wit