Council to Receive Information on City Demographics to

Bolster By-District Elections Discussion

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

The City Council voted unanimously in a special meeting last Thursday, June 22, to contract with a consulting firm that will be tasked with providing the city more information on San Clemente’s demographics before moving forward with a proposal to transition the town to a by-district voting model.

The approval of the $60,000 contract with the National Demographics Corporation (NDC) comes after the city received a letter by Dana Point lawyer Michelle Jackson, on behalf of an undisclosed client, claiming San Clemente’s at-large elections violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and diluted the votes of minority votes.

“It is my client’s position that San Clemente’s system of at-large elections dilutes the ability of Latinos, a protected class, to elect candidates of their choice or otherwise influence the outcome of San Clemente’s elections for its City Council Members,” Jackson said in the letter.

Jackson also claimed that a review of the city’s system proved the existence of racially polarized voting, which the CVRA is intended to end, and pointed to a small number of Latino candidates on the council in the past 20 years.

Council Reestablishes Coastal Advisory Committee, Forms New Fine Arts Commission

BY CLARA HELM

The San Clemente City Council held unanimous votes in their regular meeting on June 20 that reestablished the Coastal Advisory Committee, continued the Amphitheater Committee and formed an Arts and Culture Committee.

The Amphitheater Committee, formed last August, comprises citizens appointed by councilmembers who were brought together to discuss the funding and placement of a potential amphitheater.

The main issues the council discussed were the committee’s failure to set a meeting schedule and the absence of city staff assigned to guide them. Councilmembers expressed concern for the lack of progress that the committee was making.

The June 15 letter requested San Clemente adopt a by-district system, with the threat of seeking “judicial relief” if action is not taken by Aug. 10.

At the June 22 meeting, after councilmembers and staff had met in closed session for more than an hour, City Attorney Elizabeth Mitchell informed the public that the city had only a short time to respond to the letter.

“It was necessary that staff introduced the item and received direction from the council about whether we should hire a consultant to give information to the council that could inform its decision about whether to go to district elections,” Mitchell said.

Councilmembers Victor Cabral, Mark Enmeier and Rick Loeffler stated they wanted to hear from the public, as well as from NDC, and that the council wouldn’t make a decision at the June 22 meeting.

Cabral also named numerous cities that faced similar threats of litigation and chose to fight the lawsuits, including Anaheim, Palm Desert and Whittier, and were forced to settle in addition to switching to a by-district system.

He also referred to the city of Santa Barbara, which is involved in an ongo-

Speaking on behalf of the committee, Amanda Quintanilla, who was appointed as a member by Councilmember Victor Cabral, stated that members had not yet met simply because of scheduling issues.

Given the concern over having concrete progress being made, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock made a motion to appoint staff to coordinate the meetings and receive a report from the committee in no later than three months.

Councilmember Rick Loeffler put forth whether the committee should have an expanded purview, such as putting it under a category of “fine arts” rather than the more specific category of “amphitheater.”

Other councilmembers agreed, as many expressed a desire to expand the amount of art and theater events in the city.

Councilmember Mark Enmeier pointed out an issue with the expansion of topics of the committee, as it would require broader expertise. With a larger scope suggested, the council proposed a solution to make a separate Arts and Culture Committee and continue the existing Amphitheater Committee—each ing case with the Pico Neighborhood Association regarding the city’s own at-large system. The case is a part of a second oral argument session that the California Supreme Court was scheduled to hear on June 27.

“Maybe once we get a better idea of if the California Supreme Court (will) rule against the city, then there will be no cities that have ever won this,” said Cabral. “Then we have to weigh whether it’s worth fighting or going to district elections, and whether the city wants to spend millions of dollars doing it.”

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock called the situation “disappointing,” saying he having five members.

The council agreed to continue the Amphitheater Committee and voted unanimously to create a separate Arts and Culture Committee that would meet bimonthly.

The reestablishment of the Coastal Advisory Committee emerged as a more disputed issue, as councilmembers went back and forth on the necessity of a separate committee for beach and ocean upkeep.

In June 2021, the Coastal Advisory Committee was disbanded and merged with the Beaches, Parks, and Recreation Commission.

Speaking to the importance of the separate group, Susan Ambrose, the former chairperson of the Coastal Advisory Committee, reminded the council of the goals and objectives members set, many of which, she stated, came to fruition.

Some of the previous committee objectives mentioned were maintaining beaches, beach profiles, monitoring and assessment of the sand, sand replenishment and identifying sources of sand availability twice a year.

Citizen Donna Vidrine also found didn’t recall many Latinos running for council even as other people of color have run and placed somewhat high in the final results. issues with the disbanding of the advisory committee at a time when San Clemente is experiencing dramatic sand loss and water quality issues.

“I think this is a strong-arm tactic by the state, to compel district elections when the local citizens have consistently said, ‘We will elect our representatives in the way we choose, that best fits our community,’ ” said Knoblock.

With the council not holding a regular meeting in early July in observance of Independence Day, it will next meet on July 18 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, at 910 Calle Negocio.

“The City Parks Commission lacks the means to address coastal issues with the scientific approach,” said Vidrine. “The Coastal Advisory panel ensured coastal sources were being taken care of, raised community awareness on issues like the Clean Ocean Program, and made sure the city followed ocean regulations.”

Since Coastal Advisory was dissolved, some of the city’s other subcommittees have been burdened by the issues it once handled, Councilmember Victor Cabral said.

Knoblock stated he was not eager to reinstate the committee, as the decision to merge the Coastal Advisory Committee into the Beaches, Parks, and Rec Commission was made for the reason of government expediency.

Mayor Chris Duncan countered, stating the committee would give interested citizens an outlet for input and ideas.

Not only would citizens be engaged, added Loeffler, but experts who live in San Clemente could provide valuable specialist insight.