Anaheim residents to vote on 2 measures that affect City Council

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Voters in Anaheim will decide on two measures about the City Council. Measure L changes the city's at-large City Council voting system to a single-district system. It was born out of protests that Latinos were not being represented on the Council. Measure M increases the number of councilmembers from four to six.

The violent protests in Anaheim in 2012 are still fresh in the minds of today's councilmembers. Protesters demanded better representation of the Hispanic community after the officer-involved shootings of two Latino men.

The American Civil Liberties Union took up the case, filing a lawsuit against the city over how councilmembers were elected.

After the city spent more than $2 million to settle, the issue is now on the November ballot.

"Voting for the people that you know, that are from your area, that will represent your area," said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait.

Measure L calls for districting, which requires councilmembers to live and only be elected by the people who live within their district lines. Tait supports the idea and so do many community activists.

"Since there's changing demographics here folks in Anaheim, we have to allow their representation," said Joanne Sosa with the organization, Take Back Anaheim.

According to the latest census, more than 50 percent of the residents in Anaheim are Latino. The City Council is all white.

However, not everyone is in favor of districting.

Councilmember Gail Eastman says the city's always used an at-large voting system and she believes it works.

"When you have a district and you're only accountable to the people who live in that district, it kind of sets you up for turf wars," said Eastman.

In the same vein as the districting measure, voters will also decide whether or not to expand the Council from four members to six. The Council is also split on that issue.

"For the cost of a couple of councilmembers, we could put two police officers on the street," said Eastman.

"Trying to get the government, City Hall, closer to the people, and represent a smaller number of people, in your neighborhood, it's just healthy," Tait said.

If the measures pass, district lines would need to be drawn by the 2016 election. That's also when the two Council seats would be added.