West Covina has joined Monrovia and a number of other cities in the San Gabriel Valley that have switched to district-based elections under legal pressure. The transition, however, has been anything but smooth.
“Bureaucracies are resistant to change,” writes Stephanie K. Baer of The San Gabriel Valley Tribune. “It took the council several tight 3-2 votes, and before that years of resistance to previous more West Covina citizen-driven efforts to go to voting districts, before a majority of council members agreed on a new system that would elect all five members from within geographic districts, with a rotating mayor system moving the gavel on an annual basis to different members of the council.”
West Covina first approved the switch in November, but reversed the decision the following month. It quickly backtracked again in a 3-2 vote after it became clear they were floating with legal disaster. The initial decision was prompted by a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit alleging that the at-large system disenfranchises Latino voters. Given the outcome of other cases, West Covina’s chances of prevailing were slim to none. Fighting the case would have cost a fortune.
“I don’t really want it, but I am not willing to let this city go into bankruptcy,” said Mayor Corey Warshaw.
Council members will now be elected every four years from five geographic regions. Each council member will have the chance to serve as mayor for one year.
Read more about the switch to district elections in West Covina and other parts of the San Gabriel Valley here.