Earlier this year, the District received a letter alleging its elections violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and suggesting a lawsuit would follow if the District did not changes its election. Under the current at-large elections all Board members are elected by all District voters. The letter asks for by-trustee area elections voters in each of five trustee areas elect one Board member.
Following six public hearings and four community forums, on September 27, 2018, the Board voted to adopt trustee areas. Additional information about the process and the trustee areas boundary map can be found on the
CVRA web page.
The Board will now consider whether to put this change and the boundary map on the ballot for voter approval in 2020 or seek permission from the State Board of Education to forego an election. The Board is asking the community to complete this survey before the Board considers the issue on October 25.
A few points regarding the election or waiver:
- The election would allow District voters to cast a “yes” or “no” vote on the change in election systems and the proposed trustee areas.
- The District would be responsible for the cost of the election.
- Holding an election and/or disapproval by voters at that election could still lead to litigation against the District.
With this background, please indicate your preference in the survey below:
