65B - BY-WARD BASED ELECTIONS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations March 6, 2018 Page 2 of 7 OF THAT WARD, INSTEAD OF CITY COUNCILMEMBER ELECTION BY REGISTERED VOTERS OF THE ENTIRE CITY TO BE INCLUDED ON THE BALLOT FOR THE 2018 SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON JUNE 5, 2018 c. Adopt resolution authorize the filing of Arguments and Rebuttals, as follow: i. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AUTHORIZING WRITTEN ARGUMENTS FOR PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE SANTA ANA CHARTER REGARDING WHETHER CITY CHARTER SECTION 400 SHALL BE AMENDED REQUIRING CITY COUNCILMEMBER ELECTION FROM HIS OR HER RESIDENCY WARD AND ONLY BY REGISTERED VOTERS OF THAT WARD, INSTEAD OF CITY COUNCILMEMBER ELECTION BY REGISTERED VOTERS OF THE ENTIRE CITY d. Direct City Attorney to prepare Impartial Analysis. e. Direct Clerk of the Council to publish legal notices as required by law. f. Approve an appropriation adjustment to carry -forward and allocate prior year unallocated fund balance in the amount $202,148 and appropriate the same amount to the Clerk of the Council Contract Services -Professional expenditure account (no. 01107031-62300) for the cost to conduct a Special Election. (Requires five affirmative votes). L Other funding source or direction as identified by City Council. DISCUSSION Mayor Miguel A. Pulido established an Ad Hoc Committee comprised of Councilmembers Benavides, Sarmiento and Solorio to review and recommend options as discussed in Closed Session at the February 20, 2018 City Council Meeting regarding Ward Boundaries and Ward Based Elections. The Committee met on March 1, 2018 and recommended that staff prepare the required resolutions for placing a Charter Amendment on the June 5, 2018 Statewide Primary Election for consideration by the City Council at the next regularly scheduled City Council Meeting (refer to Exhibit 2). Furthermore, the Committee discussed Ward Re -boundary process. Items pertaining to this matter will be forthcoming in a future agenda report, but the process will run in parallel to the Ward Based Election, if approved. Due to the impending legal deadline to submit documents to the Registrar of Voters Office of 5 p.m. on Friday, March 9; 2018, staff has prepared the resolutions for consideration and attached herein. Background The City of Santa Ana received a certified letter on June 5, 2017 expressing concerns with our current process to nominate candidates by Ward, but electing at -large system. The letter asserts that the City's current practice of nominating by Ward and electing at -large dilutes the ability of Asians (a protected class) to elect candidates of their choice or otherwise influence the outcome of Santa Ana's council elections. Below is information about the California Voters Rights Act and the provisions in the City Charter regarding said matters. 65B-2