Editorial:
District elections can either be a savior to a disenfranchised community or they can marginalize a community. District elections have had the impact of marginalizing a community in the City of San Diego where Hispanic influence, or power, has been limited to one district only, that being district 8. The newly created district 9 in San Diego is another fiasco of a district created to empower the Hispanic community only to fall far short of this effort. The City of San Diego is an example of district elections gone wrong.
In Escondido district elections could have their actual intended effect and be the answer to a disenfranchised Hispanic community. In Escondido, Hispanics have suffered under a xenophobic city council which created an atmosphere of fear. Elected officials increased pressure on Hispanics by encouraging police force tactics of intimidation and harassment. Escondido police staged traffic stops in Hispanic neighborhoods. City policies restricted apartment rentals to migrant workers. The council created a day labor ordinance. Officials evicted the Charros organization from their performance area (later rescinded). And the Escondido police department incorporated ICE agents as ride along partners and participants in police checkpoints. But the loudest bell ringing for district elections is the fact that despite the city’s 50% Hispanic population, there has been only ONE Hispanic elected in the city’s history.
Escondido is a conservative town. The majority of its residents are Hispanic, yet Hispanics are not the majority of the voters. The right wing, conservative voting segment of this city has had a stranglehold on this city and has elected like minded representatives. With city wide elections, the voting bloc of right wing voters has been able to marginalize Hispanic voters, diluting their vote in “at-large” elections.
In a letter to the Escondido city council, lawyers representing the Hispanic community state that the city is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act of 2011 and if the city council does not adapt or at the very least begin the process of district elections, they will sue the city.
The Escondido school district recently changed their election process to district elections for many of the same reasons facing the City of Escondido. It would appear reasonable for the Escondido city council to follow suit. But Mayor Sam Abed, who is the lead conservative of this city, has vowed to fight this effort and will defend the city’s at-large elections in court, an action which will cost Escondido taxpayers millions of dollars no matter the outcome. It is inevitable that this issue will be decided by a judge.
What is more significant, and immediate, are the actions of the Hispanic community of Escondido. They have gone from a community engaged in the long, drawn out process of working in the trenches, organizing and registering voters, to a community that takes more direct action to force and change the tone of discussion in the city. From a community that passively suffers attacks on non-citizens and citizens to one that is fighting back and demanding accountability. Not only will this draw more attention to Hispanic issues, but the community at large will be empowered. Others who have sat on the sidelines will hopefully be encouraged to become more actively involved. Hispanics have become more than just fringe players in the political process of their city.
The political landscape is changing in Escondido. For the Hispanic community it is changing for the better.