Vote By Districts? Elected Mayor With Strong Power? Or Just Fuggedaboutit? Council Will Weigh Options July 13th
Written by 991KBU on July 3, 2020
The issue of changing the way that Malibu elects city council members will go before the city council on June 13th.
The city is facing a potential lawsuit … which could force the city to be broken up into five districts … with people in each district electing only one council member.
Right now … we vote for five citywide representatives.
The other alternative is to ask the voters to adopt a so-called strong mayor system … where an elected mayor would hire all the department heads and run city hall.
And there is a movement from some activists … to instead ask the city council to let voters decide a middle ground … four districts …each with a city council member … and a citywide vote for a mayor.
The mayor could act like a city councilman … elected citywide … but with none of the day to day responsibilities of the hired city manager.
Of course … the impetus for all this may have just disappeared.
Santa Monica has won an expensive appeal court decision … on a nearly identical lawsuit.
The judges told the plaintiff that there can be no racial discrimination against minorities … if there are not enough minorities to be discriminated against.
And that seems to the the situation in Malibu.
All this goes to the city council a week from next Monday.
