VIDEO - Community Advocates Requests Elk Grove City Council to Address Alleged Voting, Civil Rights Violations
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2018/03/advocates-seek-action-on-civil-rights-violations-in-elk-grove.html
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| Bernardo Buenrostro, LULAC Sacramento discussing civil rights in Elk Grove. | |
March 18, 2018 |
On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, several speakers addressed the Elk Grove City Council meeting on allegations that the city's from-district representation is a violation of voter and civil rights.
Among the groups represented by the speakers were the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, League of United Latino American Citizens, and American Sikh Political Affairs Association.
The comments were made after the revelation that the City of Elk Grove had received a demand letter from attorney Kevin Shenkman representing the Southwest Voters Rights Education Project. In his letter, Shenkman, who has successfully sued other cities sought to change how Elk Grove elects its city council members.
Currently, city council members are elected on a from-district, also called at-large, system. Shenkman said if the city does not take action to change to by-district by April 5, 2018, legal solutions will be sought.
Below are the comments speaking in support of by-district elections, and references to the letter sent by Shenkman.
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3 comments
The citizenry is now hearing complete silence on by-district issue from the dais except for Mayor Steve Ly. Of course, Pat Hume, Stephanie Nguyen, Darren Suen and Steve Detrick don’t want change. The at-Large block voting system currently in place has been called the oldest trick in the book. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg cited this method, along racial gerrymandering, as a preeminent second-generation way to deny equal opportunity for minority voters and candidates.
How many times have we seen the incumbents put out press how much money they have either raised or loaned themselves? That is done one for one reason only, it is their way to basically rig our local elections by amassing a campaign war chest to scare off challengers.
That must change! One vote, one voice!
Bottom line-the government employed soccer families don't give a **** about anything except their shopping, food joints, maybe a swim pool and more soccer fields. They could care less whether the city has at-large, by-district, or out-house elections!
One other aspect that has been mentioned, if not in this video, but on Wednesday night, but needs more amplification has been the three consecutive appointments to the Elk Grove City Council.
Current council members Mr. Suen and Ms. Nguyen both came to the council by appointments. The rationale for appointing them was that it was too expensive to run a citywide special election.
Should Ms. Nguyen prevail over Mr. Fuentes, and any other undeclared candidates this November, and the regression analysis from Attorney Shenkman show Latino candidates are affected by at-large voting in that district, the city council better hold onto their wallets because, in the end, it will be several million dollars lighter.
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