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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-09-15 CRC MINS MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION September 15 , 1997 Council Conference Room 4 : 30 p.m. ----------------------------------------------------------------- MEMBERS PRESENT: John Dorso, Jack Blakely, Harriet Acton, Barbara McAllister, Bob Campbell, David Potter and Deric Prescott MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: City Attorney John M. Kaheny OTHERS PRESENT: Councilman Jerry Rindone Donna Vignapiano The meeting was called to order at 4 : 30 p.m. 1. Roll Call. The roll was called and all members were present. 2 . Introduction of New Member David Potter. Chair Dorso introduced David Potter to the Commission. 3 . Approval of Minutes. MSUC (Campbell/Prescott) to approve the minutes of July 21, 1997 as presented. 4 . Report by City Attorney John M. Kaheny. (A) General - None. (B) Discussion Concerning Councilman Rindone's suggestion for Council Elections. Councilman Rindone addressed the Commission over equitable representation from the members of the City Council. He's proposing the Mayor live anywhere in the City, but the remaining councilmembers live in four different quadrants insuring all portions of the City have representation. The quadrants could be realigned every 10 years with census figures. Councilmembers would live in the area the seat represents, but be elected citywide. As a Charter city, we have the option to make changes if the Charter Review Commission agrees and the City Council concurs. The idea may need to be tweaked a little as to details. Mr. Rindone noted presently three councilmembers live east of 805 within a stone's throw of each other. When Otay Ranch is developed there will be 57, 000 additional dwelling units on 23 , 000 acres to Charter Review Commission Minutes September 15, 1997 Page 2 the east. Since the Montgomery area annexed in 1986, no one has run. from that area, let alone be elected in an area of 251000 residents. His proposal encourages candidates from Montgomery to run. Councilmember Rindone concluded he is not proposing district elections, but having four Council seats filled from four geographic areas to balance the representation. Candidates will require a majority to win the primary, otherwise there will be a runoff. He expressed his appreciation that the Commission is taking a hard look at this issue. Chair Dorso questioned if there was a formal request to consider the proposal. Mr. Rindone responded he made a staff referral at the Council meeting and the Council made a referral formally to the Commission to consider it. Member Acton inquired if each area would have- a separate primary to identify the people in that locality and -then they oppose each other at the general election. Could there' be an area that does not have a candidate? Barbara McAllister felt Ms.. Acton's point was well-taken. Jerry Rindone believes his proposal will encourage people to run if they have a chance to get elected. David Potter stated if you had east-west quadrants, you could end up with the same gerrymandering issue. Barbara McAllister sees the proposal as being somewhat divisive. Councilman Rindone stated within ten years or less, we probably will gofrom5 to 7 Council seats. Attorney Kaheny noted if the number of Councilmembers are increased to 7 , the districts should be fairly close in population because of the one man, one vote rule. As the City expands, the shifting population problem is solved by adding more Council seats so the western portion of Chula Vista always has its own identity. Attorney Kaheny said you could put a trigger into the Charter when the City population exceeds 250, 000-275, 000; additional seats could be added for each additional 50, 000 in population to a certain maximum number. The general rule is that the areas be reasonably contiguous to themselves. If the voters approve the concept, several sections of the. Charter will be amended, but the technical aspect is not a problem. Mr. Kaheny described the history of the San Diego Charter and their district elections. In the 19801s, there was a voting rights lawsuit filed which changed the way the districts were configured. Testimony before San Diego's Charter Review Commission indicated it Charter Review Commission Minutes September 15 , 1997 Page 3 was not a good idea to have solely district elections without a strong Mayor. The concept of pinwheeling elections is a little unusual, but there is not a problem with doing it. If the Commission desires to go forward with the concept, it can be implemented over time. Attorney Kaheny suggested receiving input on demographics and census data. Harriet Acton recommended contacting the Register of Voters and Attorney Kaheny suggested they provide estimates on costs. Because of the work involved, Member Campbell inquired how the majority of the Council might react to this proposal. The Attorney responded it was not discussed. Chair Dorso mentioned deciding on who and what we need to assist in making a decision and translate that into dollars and cents. Attorney Kaheny remarked we could obtain a political science student from a local college to help us . with demographics, jurisdictions, pinwheeling, etc. 5 . Public Comments Norman Quinlan is interested in Mr. Rindone's proposal and would like to see Montgomery representation. Ricardo Gibert came to hear discussion on the new proposal and wanted to determine how it would work without creating district elections. Don Rasco, a Montgomery resident, came to listen and see what's happening. They asked to be notified of future meetings . 6 . Member Comments Barbara McAllister asked about Proposition 208 's restrictions on commission members not being able to contribute to the campaign of the person appointing them. Attorney Kaheny will clarify and report back at the next meeting. 7 . Adjournment. MSUC (Acton/Prescott) to adjourn the meeting at 5 : 20 p.m. to the next meeting scheduled for October 27 , 1997 at 4 : 30 p.m. Lorraine Kraker, Secretary