Santa Ana, California, Measure AA, By-Ward Elections (November 2018)

• Text of measure
  • Ballot question
  • Impartial analysis
• Support
  • Official argument
• Opposition
  • Official argument
• Path to the ballot
• See also
  • External links
  • Footnotes
• More
  • Local ballot measures
  • State ballot measures
  • Local politics

Measure AA: Santa Ana By-Ward Elections
The basics
Election date:
November 6, 2018
Status:
a Approved
Topic:
Local elections and campaigns
Related articles
Local elections and campaigns on the ballot November 6, 2018 ballot measures in California Orange County, California ballot measures Local governance on the ballot
See also
Santa Ana, California

A measure designed to change city elections from at-large to by-ward was on the ballot for Santa Ana voters in Orange County, California, on November 6, 2018. It was approved.

A yes vote was a vote in favor of changing city council elections from at-large (citywide) to by-ward.

A no vote was a vote against changing city council elections from at-large (citywide) to by-ward.

Election results

Santa Ana Measure AA
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		35,027	63.25%
No		20,351	36.75%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question was as follows:

“

Shall City of Santa Ana Charter sections 101.2 and 400 be amended requiring City Councilmember election from his or her residency ward and only by registered voters of that ward, instead of City Councilmember elections by registered voters of the entire City, with ward boundaries to be drawn as required by law?

”

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Santa Ana City Attorney:

“	Measure AA was placed on the ballot by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana. It proposes to change how Santa Ana city council members are elected. Currently, all council member candidates must be a resident of the ward from which they are running and must be nominated by voters residing in that ward. All voters may vote for any candidate regardless of where that candidate lives in the City. Measure AA proposes to amend Section 400 of the Santa Ana City Charter to change the method of election to be “by district” or in Santa Ana’s case, “by-ward.” If adopted, the Measure would require that each council member come from one of the existing six wards. Only voters residing in a ward would elect the council member for that ward. If Measure AA is approved, the “by-ward” elections will apply to candidates running for City Council in the City’s general municipal election in November 2020. Current council members with time remaining in office will continue to serve until they complete their respective terms. Measure AA is not intended to and it will not amend the term limits that apply to Council Members under the provisions of the City Charter. Measure AA will not change the at-large voting method for electing the mayor. The candidates for Mayor may reside anywhere within the City’s boundaries and all voters will be eligible to vote for mayoral candidates regardless of where they live in the City. Measure AA also proposes to allow for a change to ward boundaries when necessary to comply with the requirements of state and/or federal law. Measure AA also proposes to amend Section 101.2 of the Santa Ana City Charter requiring ward boundaries to be drawn and adjusted to the requirements of state and federal law. In summary: A “YES” vote on the measure will change how city council members are elected from “at large” to “by district—by-ward” under existing ward boundaries. Only those voters within a council ward would elect the council member for that particular ward. It will also require ward boundaries to be drawn and adjusted according to the requirements of state and federal law. A “NO” vote on the measure would not change the current method of electing city council members. Each council member would continue to be nominated from an existing ward and elected “at large” by the voters citywide. Ward boundaries would not be altered except as reasonably necessary to promote greater equality of population among the wards when such necessity is shown by the most recent federal decennial census, or by more current census data certified by the City Council as sufficiently reliable and detailed to serve as a basis for ward boundary alteration, or by annexation or consolidation of territory.	”
—Santa Ana City Attorney

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:

• Vicente Sarmiento, Santa Ana city council member
• David Benavides, councilman, city of Santa Ana
• Erika Carranza, Santa Ana voter
• David Hoen, Santa Ana resident
• Kenneth K. Nguyen, Santa Ana planning commissioner

Arguments in favor

Official argument

The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:

“

Vote Yes on Measure AA. Elections by Ward/District: Bring government closer to the people: With ward/district elections, your neighborhood will have someone to stand up for you at city hall. City council members are able to have closer contact with their constituents and more in-depth understanding of the neighborhood’s needs. This improves responsiveness and accountability from their city council. Ward/district elections ensures that city council members are answerable to the neighborhoods they represent. Most cities similar in size have adopted district elections to ensure a more fundamentally fair and equitable form of government. Prevent Undue Influence from Special Interest Groups: Currently, candidates must raise thousands of dollars to effectively campaign and communicate with approximately 350,000 residents. Last election cycle, more than $400,000 was spent by special interests to buy Council seats. District elections takes the importance of money out of elections, and allows independent candidates to campaign competitively by simply walking their district neighborhoods, and talking to voters in their district. Provide better representation for people: Ward/District elections allows community candidates to run and have a higher chance of winning. Ward/District elections enables candidates to focus their efforts and finances on their neighborhoods rather than costly citywide elections. As recently as 2016, a majority of voters in a Ward/District voted for a specific candidate. However, because the rest of the city voted differently, the residents in that Ward/District did not receive their representative of choice. Fix Santa Ana’s Election System: Currently, Santa Ana’s at-large election system violates the California Voting Rights Act by preventing certain groups of residents from holding office and limiting diversity on City Council. Legal fees to defend our illegal election system will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

”

Opposition

Opponents

The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:

• Debbie McEwen, president, Historic French Park

Arguments against

Official argument

The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:

“

Vote NO on Measure AA Since 1988, City of Santa Ana councilmembers are elected by a citywide at-large vote, required to reside in one of six council wards, and can only serve 12-years. Ward boundaries are redrawn every ten years coinciding with the US Census. Current Ward boundaries were drawn with US Census data from 2010 as per the City Charter. An election without data from the 2020 US Census would be in contradiction of the City Charter, which has served the city well for the past 30 years. Ward elections fail to hold each elected councilmember accountable to a citywide at-large voter. It would cause segregation by pitting ward against ward instead of “for the greater good of the city,” Why act in haste with something that will drastically affect our neighborhoods with minimal input from the community? The 2020 US Census is imminent; follow the City Charter to accurately redraw Ward boundaries. Voting NO on Measure AA keeps the current 12-year term limit cycle intact, ward boundaries will remain based on the current US Census data, and council accountability with the citywide at-large voter. Every VOTER will continue to have a voice in their neighborhood that will represent their interest. Every current and future councilmember will and should be held accountable to the VOTER regardless of their Ward.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Santa Ana, California.

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2018
• Local elections and campaigns on the ballot
• Local governance on the ballot
• Orange County measures

California

• November 6, 2018 measures in California
• Local ballot measures, California
• Santa Ana, California

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Orange County Elections Office website