Santa Barbara’s district elections, mapped out
Last week the City of Santa Barbara chose the map which lays out which district citizens will vote in. The new map is a result of a lawsuit that began last…
By Kathryn Barnes • • 1 min readClick for a detailed look at the new district map. Source: City of Santa Barbara
Last week the City of Santa Barbara chose the map which lays out which district citizens will vote in. The new map is a result of a lawsuit that began last November under the California Voting Rights Act. Plaintiffs in the case believed the city’s at-large elections were causing “racially polarized” results. In 45 years, only four Latinos have been elected to the City Council, despite Santa Barbara’s large Latino population. City Hall decided to settle rather than go to trial.
Noozhawk reporter Giana Magnoli has been covering the district elections story since it began. She sat down with Morning Edition host Lisa Osborn to discuss what these new boundaries mean for the everyday voter, and whether this map will succeed in creating a more racially accurate representation in City Hall.