18) Santa Clarita City Council Election
Two of the five city council seats are up for grabs in Santa Clarita, LA County’s third largest city. In order to comply with the Voter Rights Act, the election has been moved to November for the first time and should result in a significant increase in turnout. Among the eleven candidates are the opinionated TimBen Boydston and former Mayor and State Assemblyman Cameron Smyth.
Who we are watching?
Candidates:
TimBen Boydston, councilmember
Cameron Smyth, Santa Clarita Businessperson
Bob Keller, Mayor
Alan Ferdman, CEO Non-Profit
Mark White, Mortgage Banker
Matthew Hargett, Emergency Medical Technician
Brett Haddock, Software Engineer
Sandra L. Nicholas, Retired
Kenneth Dean, Educator/Teacher
Paul J. Wieczorek, U.S. Government Employee
David Ruelas
The Numbers:
Total voters: 116,225 (38% Rep., 34% Dem., 26% Indep.)
Racial Make-up: 19% Latino, 7% Asian, 1% African American)
Why we’re watching?
As we have seen in other cities throughout the state, Santa Clarita faced a lawsuit contesting the structure and process of its elections system. Two city residents filed suit in 2013, claiming that Santa Clarita’s open elections diluted Latino resident’s votes and “denied them effective political participation” and was in violation of the California Voter Rights Act (SignalSCV) The city settled the suit in 2014 to the tune of $1.25 Million ($650,000 in attorney’s fees and $600,000 to the plaintiff’s pockets) and agreed to move it’s elections from April to November to coincide with state wide. Despite the financial hit and the voting date change, the city was able to avoid two other significant changes. First, plaintiffs had advocated, and an LA Superior Court Judge initially ruled in favor of, cumulative voting; which was seen as a means to enhance minority’s voting power. After questions regarding the legality of cumulative voting were raised by the Secretary of State’s office, the judge reversed himself and that system will not be implemented (at least not in this cycle). Second, and perhaps most importantly, the city was allowed to retain an at large voting system instead of the district-based system that plaintiffs had advocated for in their suit. Santa Clarita citizens will continue to be able to vote for all members of the council instead of just for the councilmember affiliated with their residential area.
The change from April to November elections is expected to drastically impact the City Council race by increasing voter turnout. In the most recent city council elections, only 14% of registered voters turned out as opposed to 78% in 2012 when the last Presidential election occurred. As College of the Canyons Political Science professor Lena Smyth told KQED in March: “You’re going to have a massive increase in voter turnout for a local election, which we’ve never seen in Santa Clarita before. Typically a City Council member has been able to get elected with anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 votes. So now we have a whole different ballgame.” (KQED) As an example, the highest vote total achieved in the 2014 council race was by Laurene Weste with only 6,210 votes or roughly 15% of the total. (Santa Clarita)
The candidate that is in position to make the most of the change is, Professor Smyth’s husband, Cameron Smyth. Mr. Smyth represented the 38th assembly district, which encompasses Simi Valley, part of the San Fernando Valley and most of the Santa Clarita Valley, from 2006 to 2012. In addition, he was a member of the Santa Clarita City Council from 2000 to 2006, serving as the city’s mayor in 2003 and 2005. Since leaving the Assembly, Mr. Smyth has worked as Vice President of state affairs for Molina Healthcare and states that he would bring a different perspective to the role than when he was first elected to the council at the age of 28. “I honestly believe we are at a crossroads and the next few years will dictate whether we remain a premiere city,” Smyth told the Santa Clarita Signal. “Because of the change and growth in the community, we need to focus our priorities on the big issues that impact residents.”
Some of those big issues Mr. Smyth will be focusing his campaign on are easing traffic congestion, crime, jobs, and expanding the city’s park space. Smyth has advocated for enhanced traffic light synchronization and leveraging federal highway dollars to build roads more suitable to the city’s current needs. On the issue of crime, he has pointed to not only increasing patrols but also the nature of the patrols in an attempt to curb increases in violent crime and drug use-particularly drug use by the area’s youth. (Signal). He has also been a long-time advocate of annexation to solidify the Santa Clarita’s fiscal foundation. Smyth has also pointed out that in an area where 60% of the population is under the age of 45, he would be in the unique position as the only councilmember to fall into that demographic and as such he can understand the needs of the city unlike any other candidate.
Smyth will face off against ten other candidates representing a diverse set of backgrounds including a software engineer, a U.S. Post Office employee, and an EMT. Foremost among them are current Mayor Bob Kellar and current councilman TimBen Boydston. Mr. Boydston is of particular interest due to an at times abrasive style that sets him apart (and can put him at odds with) his council colleagues.
Mr. Boydston first served on the city council in 2007 when he was appointed to fill Mr. Smyth’s position after Mr. Smyth was elected to the Assembly. Following through on a pledge not to run in the 2008 election (so as not to take advantage of his incumbency), Boydston subsequently lost in his 2010 bid before finally being elected in 2012. Mr. Boydston sees himself as the principled “voice of the people” and that belief has at times manifested into some interesting displays of conduct. For instance, during a council discussion on landlord abuse by local mobile home park owners, Mr. Boydston erupted: “There is a special place in Hell reserved for you.” (Sclarita.com) In October 2013, shortly after his election victory, Boydston filed a claim of damages against the City Council in the amount of $9,632.50 for compensation he said he was owed from his first 12 months of service as a city councilman. Boydston asserted that the City Council members approved a change in benefits for all employees hired after Jan. 1, 2011 without following proper procedure and that its two-tiered system violated the principle of equal pay for equal work. His request for an exemption from the new rules, put in place as a cost control measure, was denied. (KHTS)
We can only speculate, but perhaps these incidents have had some impact on how Mr. Boydston is viewed by his colleagues? For instance, despite the fact that the average time it takes for a councilmember to become mayor pro tem (a council-appointed, ceremonial role) after his or her first election is 31 months, Mr. Boydston has served almost twice that and has never been selected. (Santa Clarita Gazette)
Where Mr. Boydston’s provocative approach may gain him favor with constituents is during an incident such as the recent revelation that a city employee embezzled over $500,000 in public funds by routing surety refunds to fake construction companies. (SignalSCV) While most city leaders have attempted to diffuse public anger by openly admitting embarrassment and pointing to an on-going investigation and the independent audit that revealed the crime, Mr. Boydston has been relentless in his demands for more answers during council meetings. (Sclarita)
We can see how Mr. Boydston’s attempt to achieve greater transparency and accountability from the council would appeal to constituents and paints him as a stark contrast to the more conventional approach of someone like Mr. Smyth. Regardless, Mr. Smyth boasts a strong name ID and a positive reputation which, along with the increased voter turnout, maybe enough place him back in the seat he effectively ceded to Mr. Boydston ten years ago.