VIDEO. From the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD) Director’s meeting on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 at 7:30pm, as a hybrid meeting.
Full Agenda
In addition to selecting one of the draft maps, the Board will also need to determine an election sequence for Directors to be elected within their districts at different times to provide for staggered terms in the next two election cycles (2024 and 2026):
• In 2024, Director Boyd and Director Slater-Carter’s 4-year terms will end, as well as Director Young’s appointed 2-year term, since she filled the first half of Director Lohman’s 4-year term following his passing. Therefore, two Director seats will be elected by-division, each for a 4-year term, and one Director seat will be elected at-large, to fulfill Director Lohman’s remaining 2-year term.
• In 2026, Director Softky and Director Dekker’s 4-year terms will end, as well as the Director who is elected in 2024 to fill Director Young/Lohman’s seat.
The election sequence depends on various factors, such as the number of districts drawn, the number of incumbents located in each district, and the incumbents’ existing terms. State law does not specifically prescribe the method for election sequencing when transitioning to district elections. However, the Board’s exercise and scope of discretion is limited by other statutory requirements, which include:
• The expiration of terms of office can be considered in setting the election rotation.
• In determining the final sequence of the district elections, the District shall give special consideration to the purposes of the CVRA.
• The Board shall take into account the preferences expressed by members of the districts.
Based on the above, staff proposes the following election sequence should the Board adopt Draft Map D2B:
• Divisions 2 and 4 (green and purple, respectively) will stand for election in 2024, and thereafter every four years.
• Divisions 1, 3 and 5 (orange, red and brown, respectively) will stand for election in 2026, thereafter election every four years.
This is not a criticism of the consultant who was constrained by a set of statutes, but a glance at the map shows that forced districting in the interest of arbitrary social engineering is simply another kind of gerrymandering. Statewide, we see this in new forced districting in smaller local populations. These districts are probably as good as could be accomplished given the guidelines–and I appreciate that they were modified from an earlier draft to keep my neighborhood together–but they are a bit perplexing given our actual geography and historic precinct voting patterns in Montara, Moss Beach, and surrounds. And they are likely to cost us some very capable and dedicated directors in the future by confining us to one director per district.