A "twist in the plot" has occurred in Goleta's drive toward district elections , Acting City Attorney Winnie Cai announced at Tuesday night's City Council meeting. Following the March 7 listening session at which the public weighed in on the proposal, the newly named Goleta District Election Committee wrote to the council, stating they were willing to hold off until after the 2020 Census to begin drawing lines for a district election to be held in November 2022.
The committee asked for a special commission to be formed to provide a voice for those who might not be comfortable giving their opinion or were too young to vote or otherwise felt they were not being heard, Lindsay Rojas, a plaintiff in the threatened litigation, told councilmembers on Tuesday. The commission, the city attorney added, would help "maximize public involvement" by bridging the gap presented by lives too busy to engage with city government, by language barriers, or by a lack of understanding of how governance worked.
Most of the councilmembers embraced the idea of a greater public reach, with Mayor Paula Perotte stating the idea was "exciting." Councilmember Roger Aceves wryly pointed out that seven people sat in the audience by the end of the meeting, saying it was not representative. He argued that he saw no problem with getting people to run, countering statements that two recent elections had almost no one but incumbents running. "Neighborhoods will respond; they will find someone to represent them," he said.