WILDOMAR: Council circles Nov. 2010 election date

Council cites possibility for increased turnout, lower costs

By AARON CLAVERIE - Staff Writer | Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:51 PM PDT ∞

WILDOMAR ---- Save the date.

The Wildomar City Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to consolidate its first city election with the statewide general election on November 2010.

The action by the council sets the stage for a possible legal challenge by Gerard Ste. Marie, who sued earlier this year in an attempt to force the city to schedule its first election in November of this year.

Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz denied Ste. Marie's petition on Aug. 1, but in his ruling Schwartz said the city "should" schedule its first election in June of next year.

Wildomar's interim City Attorney Julie Hayward Biggs referenced the lawsuit in her staff report to the council and the judge's ruling.

She said the judge "basically turned it back to the city to make a decision."

Biggs said state law allows the council to schedule its first election on an "established election date." And she said the council also has the right to consolidate its election with the elections of a school district or a statewide primary.

The decision is left to the council, Biggs said, because the Local Agency Formation Commission, the county agency that put the question of Wildomar's incorporation before voters in the February election, said state law should guide the selection of an election date.

In that February election, area voters approved incorporating the community as a city and they elected a five-member city council. The voters also approved electing future council members by districts.

Barring any judicial order or a public vote in favor of at large elections, the seats occupied by the lowest vote-getters in the incorporation election, council members Scott Farnam and Sheryl Ade, will be up for election in 2010. The winners of the election will represent Districts 2 and 4.

In 2012, the seats of the top three vote-getters ---- Marsha Swanson, Bridgette Moore and Bob Cashman ---- will be up for grabs. The winners of that race will represent Districts 1, 3 and 5.

Biggs said that would be the scenario assuming that election by districts goes forward.

During her time as the attorney in Goleta, that new city's voters ---- after approving election by districts ---- reversed themselves and voted to have at-large elections before the districts were ever officially created. There are no districts involved in an at-large election.

Swanson said staging an election along with the statewide election in November would save the city the cost of paying for its own election.

"It doesn't make sense to spend more money," she said.

In Biggs' staff report, she estimated that it would cost about $25,000 to hold an unconsolidated election.

Ade said she supported holding a November 2010 election because it should result in greater turnout at the polls.

There were no comments from the public either in favor of or opposed to the November 2010 date.

Later during the meeting, the council delayed making a decision on hiring a firm to help draw up the boundaries for the city's five electoral districts. Cashman said he wanted to send out a request for proposals before making a choice.

"I don't feel there is any urgency to move on this," he said.

Swanson and the rest of the council agreed.

Talking to a representative from National Demographics Corporation, Swanson said, "I don't like taking the first one we see. There is no one to compare you with."

During his presentation, the representative, Doug Johnson, said the Glendale-based corporation had worked with Goleta when it was drawing up its districts and helped put the question of "at-large" elections in front of voters.

Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.

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