Huntington Beach has erupted after a judge ordered the city to adopt ranked-choice voting for council members \u2014 amid fears it could destroy the Republican supermajority.<\/p>\n
Orange County<\/a> Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin ruled late June that the MAGA enclave needs to move away from its at-large system after a years-long court battle.<\/p>\n A wave of Southern California municipalities have been forced to change the way they vote in recent years as courts found at-large is unfavorable to minority voters under the California Voting Rights.<\/p>\n The push is being led by Malibu\u2019s activist Democratic lawyer Kevin Shenkman, who has spent decades suing and threatening cities across the region to stop at-large voting.<\/p>\n Cindy Guinasso, a 56-year-old married mother-of-two who has lived in Huntington Beach for decades, said \u201cI\u2019m not a fan\u201d of ranked-choice voting. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n It comes as Huntington Beach led the West Coast for its show of patriotism on Fourth of July<\/a>, with an insane fireworks extravaganza that drew about 500,000 to its famous shores.<\/p>\n But the patriotic paradise could be under threat as locals claimed to the California Post the voting change is a desperate Democrat attempt to turn the town blue.<\/p>\n Political consultant Jason Beck, 48, echoed her frustrations, describing the court order as an attempt to weaken the city\u2019s all-Republican council. Pictured: The outside of his house. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n Cindy Guinasso, a 56-year-old married mother-of-two who has lived in Huntington Beach for decades, said: \u201cI\u2019m not a fan.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen it be extremely successful in other states. I\u2019ve heard that more states are trying to get rid of it because it has not been beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n Longtime resident Charles Ullmann, 76, and his wife Bonnie, 72, denounced the ruling, describing Huntington Beach as \u201ca very tight community.\u201d Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n She argued the voting system means residents will \u201cnot have a fair voice\u201d and warned the city would \u201close its individuality.\u201d<\/p>\n She also criticized Griffin\u2019s decision, saying Huntington Beach residents \u2014 not a judge \u2014 should decide how the city elects its leaders.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cThere are people trying to move us to be more like the rest of California.\u201d<\/p>\n The shift to ranked-choice would mean voters list candidates in order of preference, with the lowest numbers knocked out each round until one person remains.<\/p>\n In at-large elections voters vote as a collective, with the entire city choosing from the same pool of candidates with the vote not being split on party lines.<\/p>\n The shift to ranked-choice would mean voters list candidates in order of preference, with the lowest numbers knocked out each round until one person remains. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n Republicans tend to favor at-large systems while Democrats mainly prefer ranked-choice because it can make it easier for minorities to get their candidates in even if they receive fewer votes.<\/p>\n Griffin\u2019s order stems from a yearslong lawsuit filed by Huntington Beach resident Victor Valladares \u2014 backed by lawyer Shenkman \u2014 under the California Voting Rights Act.<\/p>\n The judge rejected district-based elections, concluding that ranked-choice voting better preserves the city\u2019s charter requirement that every voter elect every council member.<\/p>\n If Orange County election officials can implement the new system in time, it could be used as soon as this November.<\/p>\n Beck said: \u201cThis is a total play for them to try to install Democrats into the magnificent seven framework that we currently have here in Huntington Beach, our full conservative city council.\u201d Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n If not, the transition would likely occur in 2028, with council members elected this fall serving shortened two-year terms to align future elections.<\/p>\n Guinasso believes the city\u2019s conservative leadership has made it a target. She said: \u201cWe\u2019re trying to spend money more wisely. We\u2019re trying to be more fair and not be a one-party state.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re trying to push us into this one-party state and the rank-choice voting helps them do that. We\u2019re a local community that needs to be run by locals \u2014 not big government.\u201d<\/p>\n Guinasso reserved some of her sharpest criticism for Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento.<\/p>\n Guinasso believes the city\u2019s conservative leadership has made it a target. She said: \u201cWe\u2019re trying to spend money more wisely. We\u2019re trying to be more fair and not be a one-party state. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n She continued: \u201cThey\u2019ve been coming after Huntington Beach for years because we do not follow his rules.<\/p>\n \u201cThe overall leadership of California is terrible. Government should be made up of the community you live in \u2014 not Sacramento telling Huntington Beach how to run their city or how to vote in their city council.\u201d<\/p>\n Political consultant Jason Beck, 48, echoed her frustrations, describing the court order as an attempt to weaken the city\u2019s all-Republican council.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThis is a total play for them to try to install Democrats into the magnificent seven framework that we currently have here in Huntington Beach, our full conservative city council.\u201d<\/p>\n He claimed Sacramento\u2019s goal is to \u201cmarginalize and minimalize all of the things that Huntington Beach is doing for its community, for its citizens\u201d and \u201crip apart the heart of Huntington Beach, and why everyone wants to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n Longtime resident Charles Ullmann, 76, also denounced the ruling, describing Huntington Beach as \u201ca very tight community.\u201d<\/p>\n State Sen. Tony Strickland, a Republican and former Huntington Beach mayor, called the ruling \u201ccrazy\u201d and \u201cextremely liberal,\u201d warning it is both unworkable and politically charged. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n He argued ranked-choice voting was designed to increase Democratic political power and called the effort to impose the system \u201ccorruption.\u201d<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThey know what they\u2019re doing in Sacramento. What really upsets me is that it\u2019s kind of like a socialist party up there. When a politician raises gas taxes we can\u2019t fire them. They want to do all this stuff behind our backs.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Ullmann, conservative views dominate his neighborhood. He continued: \u201cOur whole block is conservative except for one family, okay, and we have to agree to disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n State Sen. Tony Strickland<\/a>, a Republican and former Huntington Beach mayor, called the ruling \u201ccrazy\u201d and \u201cextremely liberal,\u201d warning it is both unworkable and politically charged.<\/p>\n Griffin acknowledged in his ruling implementing ranked-choice voting would create disruption, including potentially cutting some council members\u2019 four-year terms in half if the new system is adopted this year. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n He told The Post: \u201cIt\u2019s a crazy, extremely liberal ruling. The folks just don\u2019t want democracy. Only one city in Orange County uses this kind of election process, and the state\u2014we don\u2019t have a viable voting system to adhere to.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Mayor and current councilwoman Gracy Larrea-Van Der Mark added: \u201cWe don\u2019t have a problem \u2014 they\u2019re creating a problem.<\/p>\n \u201cOur charter already provides for a fair and equitable system, and I don\u2019t believe any other system would provide any better representation for our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n The liberal Bay Area serves as the main center of ranked-choice voting, including San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, and Albany.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n In Southern California, Redondo Beach<\/a> has also implemented it for city races, while other areas, such as Eureka, have approved it but delayed implementation due to logistical and certification issues.<\/p>\n In reference to Huntington Beach, Shenkman said: \u201cWe are pleased with Judge Griffin\u2019s thoughtful and detailed decision, rejecting all of the City\u2019s attempts to skirt the California Voting Rights Act.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cSpecific to the remedy chosen by the Court, unstaggering the elections (so all 7 seats are up simultaneously) will make ranked choice voting more effective and allow Latino voters to elect their preferred candidate\u2014giving them the voice in their local government they\u2019ve been denied for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso important, it will allow Huntington Beach residents more generally to bring sanity back to their city council that has been dominated in recent years by insane bigotry.\u201d<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> Griffin acknowledged in his ruling implementing ranked-choice voting would create disruption, including potentially cutting some council members\u2019 four-year terms in half if the new system is adopted this year.<\/p>\n \u201cConsolidating the election will mean that three or four city council members will have their four-year terms cut in half,\u201d the judge wrote. \u201cBut this is a one-time event and will not affect council members in future elections.\u201d<\/p>\n The order also raises logistical hurdles. Orange County Registrar Bob Page said the county\u2019s certified voting system cannot currently conduct ranked-choice elections because the required software has not yet received state approval.<\/p>\n The city has until two weeks after the court\u2019s June 25 ruling to respond, and the city attorney\u2019s office declined to respond until a final order is issued from the court.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t
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