Attorney demands City of Clovis form city council districts

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A Southern California lawyer is demanding the City of Clovis alteration its City Council predetermination process.

Kevin Shenkman with Shenkman & Hughes successful Malibu claims they are violating the California Voting Rights Act.

He sent them a missive demanding change.

“You spot conscionable a deficiency of practice of that number assemblage successful the decisions being made that impact them,” Shenkman said.

The City of Clovis has 5 assembly members, and they usage an at-large voting strategy alternatively than dividing into districts.

“In the lawsuit of Clovis, the non-Hispanic achromatic voters and the Latino voters person differing voting behavior. What ends up happening is that the bulk radical ends up dominating successful an at-large predetermination system, wherever that's the case,” Shenkman said.

Shenkman says the City has been alert of the concerns for years. 

The May 9, 2022 metropolis assembly agenda references an statement to analyse the imaginable of racially polarized voting.

“When a metropolis assembly wants to publically show that they're doing the close thing, but don't really privation thing to happen, they whitethorn nonstop unit to bash 1 happening and past close afterward, spell archer staff, ‘Hey, don't really bash that,’” Shenkman said.

The City of Clovis shared the pursuing connection Friday:

Ensuring each elector continues to person a dependable successful the section metropolis assembly elections remains a apical precedence to the City of Clovis, arsenic it ever has been. 

While the City presently uses a lawful “at-large” strategy for electing section officials arsenic authorized by California law, the City continues to reappraisal and measure each options to stay compliant with applicable law, including a strategy of voting “by district” astatine immoderate constituent successful the future. 

The City precocious received Mr. Shenkman’s request missive and the substance is being reviewed and volition beryllium duly considered, and the City volition apt person a effect successful the coming weeks.

City of Clovis

Shenkman says the City has 45 days from the clip they received his missive to respond, and helium hopes they tin settee the speech without further ineligible action.