City hopes to place at-large mayor issue on ballot in 2012
As a citizens’ committee continues to look at options for
redrawing Hollister City Council district lines to conform to new
census numbers, council members have decided against holding a
special election in 2011 to ask voters if they would prefer to have
the mayor elected at-large rather than appointed from current
council members.
”
The council didn’t want to have a special election in November
because of the cost,
”
said City Attorney Stephanie Atigh, who is also coordinating the
redistricting committee.
”
It could be in 2012, but that will depend on when the state’s
primary is. We could piggyback on that ballot and it wouldn’t cost
the city as much.
”
City hopes to place at-large mayor issue on ballot in 2012
As a citizens’ committee continues to look at options for redrawing Hollister City Council district lines to conform to new census numbers, council members have decided against holding a special election in 2011 to ask voters if they would prefer to have the mayor elected at-large rather than appointed from current council members.
“The council didn’t want to have a special election in November because of the cost,” said City Attorney Stephanie Atigh, who is also coordinating the redistricting committee. “It could be in 2012, but that will depend on when the state’s primary is. We could piggyback on that ballot and it wouldn’t cost the city as much.”
In a report to the council, Atigh noted that a special election could be held as early as November 2011, which would require the city to adopt a resolution within the next month calling for the election.
“This does not provide a lot of time for the redistricting committee, the city council or the public to review and consider the election issues or the various maps” related to redistricting, she said.
There would be a “considerable difference” in the cost of a city election if it were combined with a state primary or general election, rather than holding a one-issue special election, Atigh said.
Last November, when the city voted on two council seats in conjunction with the state general election, Hollister’s share of the cost was $9,000. When the tax increase Measure T was the only item on the ballot a few years ago, it cost the city $142,000. Piggybacking the at-large mayor and redistricting issues on a state primary or general election in 2012 is expected to cost the city $20,000. Holding a special election could cost more than $150,000, Atigh reported.
Local, state and federal legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years after Census numbers are released. A report by the city’s contracted demographic research company Lapkoff and Gobalet, found that the populations of the five current council districts are unbalanced and in need of adjustment.
In 2010, District 5, represented by Vice Mayor Victor Gomez, was the largest district in the city, with a population of 10,424. By comparison, District 4 had just over 7,400 residents, District 2 was at 6,561, District 1 was just under 6,300 and District 3 had the lowest population at 4,201.
Council populations do not need to be exactly equal, the demographer said, but the general guideline cities should follow is to keep district populations within a 10 percent deviation.
“Significant boundary changes will be required in order to achieve population equality and a deviation of 10 percent or less,” the demographer’s report stated.
The demographer has presented the redistricting committee with three scenarios that meet population equality requirements, including scenarios with four, five and six council districts. The five-district plan would remain in effect if the current election method – council members elected by district, with the mayor elected by council members – were retained. The four- and six-district plans would be used in conjunction with a ballot measure to authorize the at-large election of a mayor.
During the past decade, according to Lapkoff & Gobalet, the share of the total Hollister population that is Hispanic rose from 55 percent to 66 percent, while the share of the voting age population that is Hispanic grew from 37 percent to 61 percent.
Hispanics now comprise the majority – 52 percent – of voting-age citizens, up from 44 percent in 2000, according to the Census. People with Spanish surnames in Hollister now comprise 49 percent of registered voters.
The demographer says that the growth of the Hispanic population is likely to continue. While race cannot be used as the predominant criterion in drawing or adjusting council boundaries, that does not mean that the ethnic makeup of council districts cannot be considered.
“There needs to be a broad focus on communities of interest including, but not limited to, race,” Lapkoff & Gobalet reported.
With just under 35,000 people counted in Hollister during the 2010 Census, each of the existing five council districts would have an ideal population of 6,986, or one-fifth of the city’s total population. Current districts range in population from 4,201 to 10,424, highlighting the need for redistricting.
The redistricting committee decided this week that it wants more time to look at the proposed district maps in greater depth, with particular attention paid to where district boundaries would be, Atigh said.
“They’ll do that by the next meeting (July 21) and by then we’ll have an answer from the attorney about whether four or six district maps would be preferable,” Atigh said, adding that the committee has yet to address the at-large mayor idea.
“It’s very interesting how the demographics of each district have changed over the past 10 years,” she said. “You look at how the last 10 years have impacted the districts, and it’s substantial; it’s a real eye-opener.”
Vice Mayor Victor Gomez, who represents what is now the largest council district in the city, said he is in favor of waiting until next year before considering the at-large mayor situation if it is going to save the city more than $100,000 in election costs.
“I’m supportive of having an at-large mayor, because I think there needs to be somebody to take the initiative and be the leader of the political spectrum of the city,” he said, noting that under the four-district scenario that he prefers, his district would lose approximately 1,500 constituents, while the population of other districts would increase.
He said the city hopes to have a solid redistricting plan in place by October or November.
