top of page

READ SHENKMAN'S LETTER

MARIN VOICE: IT IS TIME FOR DISTRICT ELECTIONS IN SAN RAFAEL

Clock

LET’S GO SAN RAFAEL! 
TAKE ACTION NOW

1) Join the Alliance for San Rafael’s Future—add your name or organization!


2) Send many emails to all city council members (their email addresses are on the Action page) voicing support for district elections for 2018 (Yes, 2018—it’s time for all voices to be heard and represented!)


3) Sign the Petition.


4) Show up en masse at all open times at the start of San Rafael city council meetings and voice support for district elections

5) Voice support for district elections to your friends and enemies

6) Show up en masse at the hearings on district elections and urge 5 districts for 2018 elections because a separately elected mayor with 4 districts still maintains inequitable top-down power structure

WHY NOW?

Because...:

A Malibu lawyer, Kevin Shenkman, sent a letter to San Rafael citing the California Voting Rights Act of 2002, which says:

  • if there is “racially polarized voting” in a city where there are at-large elections, district elections are a valid method to overcome such disparities.


  • Racially polarized voting means that if a protected group (such as a minority like Latinos) have been excluded from the political process, then a city must move to district elections in order to include that group


Shenkman's Never Lost in Court!

  • Shenkman has gotten several other cities to move to DE’s with just a letter--a couple of those cities already had minority representation on their council.

  • Santa Rosa received a Shenkman letter and is now moving to district elections

  • Only Palmdale has fought. They lost in court, in effect spending $4 million to convert to District Elections.

WHY ARE DISTRICT ELECTIONS
GOOD FOR SAN RAFAEL?

1) District Elections are a game changer and will signal a dramatic culture shift


  • Neighborhoods will have more of a voice in city government

  • Builds and encourages more civic engagement than the exclusionary at-large system

  • Shifts weight away from top-down decision-making

  • Campaign costs plummet because

    • there are less people to reach and districts can be walked

    • more person-to-person interaction on the campaign trail

  • That means more people will run because they'll now have a better chance to win!

2) 17,000 Latinos—30% of the population—would have an excellent chance of getting a voice on the city council for the first time, ever.


Sources:

Why District Elections: Welcome
Why District Elections: News
Why District Elections: News
Why District Elections: News
Why District Elections: Widget
bottom of page