Palm Springs City Council votes to eliminate direct-election of mayor
The way you vote for the Palm Springs City Councilmembers is changing, including the way the mayor is elected. Tonight, the Palm Springs City Council met to determine whether the city’s mayor will be directly elected or chosen by one of the city council members.
Under a new redistricting plan the city would be divided into either four or five districts determined by various demographic factors. Those districts would vote for their specific city council representative.
In a 4-1 vote, the city chose to go with five districts, meaning the mayor will be chosen among one of the five city councilmembers as opposed to directly voted by residents. Under this format, the mayor would not hold more power than the other city councilmembers.
Read: Palm Springs releases potential district maps
Last Week, the city’s California Voting Rights Act Community Working Group recommended a switch to five districts. The group concluded the move will “produce better government, be more consistent with the Palm Springs City Charter, and better advance the goals of the CVRA.”
The California Voting Rights Act protects minority groups who feel their votes are being diluted by “at large” elections. The city is currently being sued for not complying with the CVRA under their current system.
Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon believes residents should vote for the position.
“I think the people of Palm Springs prefer to have a directly elected mayor. Probably the best known small city in the state of California and people here like to have their mayor elected by all of them,” Moon told KESQ & CBS Local 2 ahead of tonight’s meeting.
Mayor Moon was the only person to vote no during tonight’s vote.
The five districts will be determined by a map set by various factors including ethnicity, income, and population. One district will be a minority-majority.
The city still needs to vote on which district map to use. The next special city council meeting on this topic is set for October 18th.
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