One possible district map.
As readers may know, Fullerton is attempting to settle two lawsuits brought over the lack of diversity on our city council by agreeing to put the question of district-based elections before the voters in 2016. If the lawsuit’s plaintiffs like the result of the election, they’ll drop the suits. But first, the city government has to figure out what kind of district model to put before the voters. How many districts should there be? And where should the lines be drawn? And how do we expect people who are supposedly disenfranchised by a majority of voters to prevail in an election to give them more power when the oppressive majority could easily defeat the measure just by doing what it always does, voting to keep it’s own hegemony?
Back to the process…
Instead of putting several models of improved democracy before the voters, city leaders plan to produce a single one, and hope it passes. (And who is to say you can’t come up with a better plan and put it on the ballot too?). To that end, they’ve hired Compass Demographics to meet with residents, and come up with the fairest plan of them all. You can meet directly with David Ely of Compass on the following dates at the following times and tell him what you think we ought to do.
From the City of Fullerton’s press release….
Mr. Ely will be happy to see you at any of these four meetings:
• Wednesday, November 4, 2015 – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Orangethorpe United Methodist Church – 2351 West Orangethorpe Avenue
• Saturday, November 7, 2015 – 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Hope International University – 2500 East Nutwood Avenue
• Tuesday, November 10, 2015 – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Maple Neighborhood Center – Lemon Park, 701 South Lemon
• Saturday, November 14, 2015 – 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Sunny Hills High School – 1801 Warburton Way
According to the City’s press release, “Translators will be present to assist with language needs in Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese.
R.S.V.P.’s are requested, but not required, to help plan for the number of attendees and translation needs. For more information or to R.S.V.P., please email districtelections@cityoffullerton.com or call Lucinda Williams, City Clerk at (714) 738-6355.”
fullertonrag.com 
While I have no doubt there will be a lot of confusion and perhaps some animosity towards districting, I hope Fullerton voters understand that state law makes electing council members by district inevitable.
When Fullerton is sued, State law mandates we (the taxpayer) pay both for lawyers on both sides . . . even if the case is settled.
So, the two suits we’re discussing here? We paid for them both. If this measure doesn’t pass, we’ll simply get sued again. We’ll get sued until we pass districts, and if they don’t conform with the expectations specified by the state, we’ll get sued again.
This isn’t exactly a healthy way to make change happen, but it is our reality.
I hope folks take the opportunity to engage with the process and speak to help keep critical neighborhoods intact. I had a chance to briefly sit down with Mr. Ely: He knows his stuff, but he doesn’t know Fullerton like we know Fullerton.
It’s our responsibility to do our part to make this significant but inevitable change happen in the best way possible.
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These meetings are a dog and pony show and a big waste of time and money IMHO. The courts will be the ones that will mandate and eventually approve how these new districts will be drawn.
Each of the newly drawn districts will be required by the courts to have an equal number of residents, and that the minorities whom reside within these new districts, will not be intentionally split up, or packed, to the point of causing that minority further political dilution or retrogression.
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