Thousand Oaks City Council begins shift to district-based elections
The Thousand Oaks City Council will transition to district-based elections in response to pending litigation against the city for its at-large voting system.
On March 15, the city clerk's office received a letter from Jason Dominguez, an attorney with Radcliff Mayes LLP, on behalf of Thousand Oaks resident Chaise Rasheed. The letter accused the city's at-large system of violating the California Voting Rights Act and demanded the city switch to district-based elections or face legal consequences.
Similar lawsuits have led to the creation of hundreds of voting districts across California, including the boards of Conejo Valley Unified School District and the Conejo Recreation and Park District.
Rasheed spoke at Tuesday night's council meeting, saying he wanted to improve representation within city leadership.
"I've lived in communities with at-large elections all my life, and I've lived in the areas where the people were and have been underrepresented," Rasheed said.
Thanks to a 2016 amendment to the California Voting Rights Act, cities facing litigation can follow a "safe harbor" timeline to establish voting districts before incurring legal fees. Given the letter's March 15 date, the city would have to pass a resolution of intent to create voting districts by April 29 and then pass an ordinance implementing the districts by July 28. District-based council elections would then start in 2024.
Thousand Oaks was one of four cities in Ventura County to elect city councilmembers at-large in 2022 and was by far the largest city to do so. Since the midterm elections, Santa Paula has moved to districts for its city council, while Port Hueneme and Fillmore still hold at-large elections.
The decision to create council districts was supported by multiple speakers Tuesday night. Vallerie Aguilar, a Thousand Oaks resident who graduated high school in 2020, said voting districts would help amplify the concerns of underrepresented populations such as young people and Latino residents.
"I have witnessed many City Council members and candidates over time not politically and socially engaging with our Latino and Hispanic community," Aguilar said. "Therefore, I have felt that our needs in this community have not been met to the fullest extent."
All four city council members present at Tuesday's meeting voiced support for district-based elections and voted in favor of creating a resolution of intention by the end of the month. Councilmember Bob Engler was not present for the vote.
"I think districts are going to make running for office in Thousand Oaks simpler, they're going to make it cheaper and they're going to involve a lot more people, especially from underrepresented areas," said Councilmember Al Adam.
The first step the council took was to move forward with a five-district map, one for each councilmember and a mayor appointed from those elected, instead of a four-district map with a mayor voted at-large.
To remain on the timeline set out by the city attorney's office, the council will have to pass its resolution of intent at the panel's next meeting on April 25. The city will then host two public meetings in May on district composition, then two public hearings in June and July to receive community feedback on possible district maps.
Jeremy Childs is the East County Reporter for the Ventura County Star, covering the communities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley. He occasionally covers courts, public safety and breaking news. He can be reached at 805-437-0208, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, and on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thousand Oaks City Council to have district-based elections
