Staff Reports

Eastvale – The first casualty of “district voting” claimed its first victim last month as Brandon Plott from District 5 edged out Mayor Ike Bootsma to represent that particular area.

Other than the pressing Federal and State elections on the ballot this Tuesday, the City of Eastvale had three council seats up for election, where eight residents vied for seats of the newly formed Districts 1, 2, and 5.

District 1 saw Todd Rigby earning a spot while District 2 showed Joe Tessari kept his seat beating out his competitor.

District 1 encompasses the north east side of Eastvale, from Cloverdale through the Ontario border. Todd Rigby beat Mario Marroquin for District 1 City Council Seat, lasting a partial term of two years,

Contrary to district 1, City Council Seats of Districts 2 and 5 will last a full term of four years, 2017-2021.

District 2 encompasses the mid to north side of Eastvale, zigzagging from Schleisman, Scholar Way, through Citrus, Harrison, and Chandler, ending by River Road at the Corona border. Joseph Tessari will serve an additional term for District 2 City Council Seat.

The final district up for election, District 5, covers the west side of Walnut from Archibald Ave to the Chino border.

Ike Bootsma, who is retired, was a current councilman and Mayor of Eastvale, lost to Brandon Plott.

After growing concerns about the at-large voting process, Eastvale City Council approved Resolution No. 16-09 in April earlier this year, initiating the by-district voting process carried out for the first time in Eastvale on Tuesday. A by-district election system requires City Council candidates to reside in the District they are vying to represent and can only be voted on by residents of that specified district.

Many California cities have converted from at-large voting systems to by-district in order to ensure representation of minority populations within cities. The California Voting Rights Act prohibits an at-large voting system that is capable of influencing the outcome of an election, or reduces the possibility of a class to elect their choice of candidate.  In 2004, the city of Modesto’s voting system was challenged under the Act, resulting in the initiation of a by-district voting system and a cascade of other charges against cities throughout California, mostly coming from Southern California.

Switching to a by-district meant carving district lines throughout the City of Eastvale. Both four and five district maps were proposed to city council, which chose a five district representation. In June 2016, the City Council chose the final 5 district map out of three options proposed. More details about the conversion from an at-large election system to a by-district can be found at http://www.eastvaleca.gov.