Residents could vote on district elections in March 2020

SUNNYVALE >> Sunnyvale residents will get to decide whether City Council candidates should be elected by geographically defined districts instead of citywide if the council declares its intent Tuesday to place a charter amendment on the March 2020 ballot.

The city is exploring the switch after drawing a legal challenge under the California Voting Rights Act, a state law that allows minorities to sue if they can prove an at-large election system dilutes their votes and makes it difficult for them to elect candidates.

While many California cities facing similar lawsuit threats have adopted district elections immediately through a city council vote, Sunnyvale is governed by a charter so voters would likely need to pass a charter amendment to change their election system.

Civil rights advocates threatening to sue Sunnyvale have called on the council to place the charter amendment on the primary election ballot in March so the new system can be implemented for the November 2020 general election.

The resolution on Tuesday’s council agenda, if approved, would require a future council vote to place the charter amendment on the March 2020 ballot. In the meantime, the city is doing public outreach so residents can give feedback about the possible transition.

“We’re really pleased. We think having the charter amendment in March is the right thing to do,” said Richard Konda, executive director of the Asian Law Alliance, which is among the groups threatening to sue Sunnyvale.

After collecting community feedback, the council will determine how a charter amendment should be worded and what

the new district election system would look like, including how many districts the city would be divided into and whether the mayor should be elected by everyone.

Deputy City Manager Jacqueline Guzman said the first phase of the outreach is focused on the content of the ballot measure. Beginning in July, the city will begin collecting community feedback on how district maps should be drawn. Residents can learn more about the process at https:// sunnyvaleelections.org.