The Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees voted Feb. 14 to change its method of electing board members from at-large elections to trustee-area elections.
The officially adopted trustee area map puts Los Altos in Area D, with the next election for a trustee seat set to come in 2024. Area B includes Mountain View, which also will see its next election for a board seat in 2024.
The change came in response to the threat of a lawsuit submitted by an attorney on behalf of a district voter, which stated that FHDA’s at-large election system may have violated their client’s rights under the California Voting Rights Act because of alleged polarized voting in the jurisdictions that make up the district. The state’s Voting Rights Act favors area-based elections over at-large because minorities’ votes can more easily be diluted in the latter.
The FHDA board denied the claim that its at-large trustee elections were characterized by racially polarized voting, but trustees decided to move forward with the change to avoid litigation.
The process began in September, with the first few hearings focused on identifying communities of interest to help create draft trustee-area boundary maps. In November, the board reviewed proposed draft maps prepared by consultant Redistricting Partners. Ultimately, the board adopted Draft Map A, which divided the district into five areas with the intent not to divide cities.
Draft Map C, favored by trustee Gilbert Wong, was focused more on creating boundaries that would not divide high school districts that feed into the community colleges. Wong also expressed concern about the way Sunnyvale is divided into three different areas in Draft Map A.
Wong represented the lone dissenting vote, with the four other trustees choosing to adopt Draft Map A.
Election sequencing choices
Trustees also deliberated on the way elections would be sequenced going forward. Voters elect candidates to serve on the board for four-year terms in even-numbered years, with three trustees chosen in one election, and two in the next. Trustee Peter Landsberger proposed the following sequence.
Area B: Seat 1
Area C: Seat 2
Area D: Seat 3
Area E: Seat 4
Area A: Seat 5
His reasoning for the order is that it will give one of the two incumbents whose terms are expiring who live in Area E the opportunity to continuing serving on the board. He added that if FHDA were to hold an election where any of the other incumbents currently reside, one or more of the at-large trustees may decide to vacate their seat and run for a new four-year term in the area where they live, and if elected, would create vacancies on the board.
“Those vacancies would be filled by appointment of the remaining board members, which I think is irresponsible and should be avoided,” Landsberger said. “I think the people should elect trustees.”
Wong offered an alternative viewpoint, noting that the board should be looking at the elections as if they had a clean slate instead of considering current trustees.
Landsberger’s motion was approved 4-1, with Wong again the dissenting vote.
“I just want to thank all of our community members and our redistricting partners in their work helping us to move to this new model,” trustee Laura Casas said. “We will still be an excellent district – there is no change to what our mission is and who we stand for and what this district is all about.”
