A committee of San Mateo County residents has its work cut out for it next month as it reconsiders
Policy experts say the current districts split up Asian and Latino populations in a way that dilutes their voting power. That doesn’t just result in consistent white leadership of a county with a nonwhite majority. It also leaves San Mateo County vulnerable to federal lawsuits for Voting Rights Act violations.
County voters tried to tackle the problem last fall by passing a ballot measure shifting the county from at-large supervisorial elections — in which the whole county elects each supervisor — to a pure district system, in which only the residents of a district elect their leaders. The measure appeared in response to a lawsuit filed in 2011, alleging that San Mateo County had effectively prohibited Asians and Latinos from ever serving in government, in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.
17 comments:
They should investigate Horsley trying to lie his way into office while they're at it.
By all means, let's revamp the voting system and completely screw it up.
1013 ask yourself did the alleged lie help or hurt Pacifica before you go all righteous.
It did not help nor hurt Pacifica. His two-faced lying only helped Horsley.
bold accusation. anything to back it up? facts?
Here's a fact: he promised not to accept a salary in order to get elected. Once he was elected, he started accepting a salary and ddn't even let anyone know about it until months later.
Whenever someone says something's a fact, you can be pretty sure that it's not.
He didn't take a salary for two years, then said he was going to take one. When he got harshly criticized for it, he reversed course.
I don't know how much money he got in salary, if anything.
Even a lie of ommition is a lie.
Politican lies, details at 5, 6 and 11.
Every time they talk they lie and he/she who lies the most gets elected.
Of course, posting under Anonymous is an identity lie as well.
Personally I would never vote for an elected official based upon whether they take salary. However, I would prefer that they did. And had there been such a promise, I would not assume it would be for the full term (4 years in this instance) unless stipulated as such.
We have discussed this issue on the blog prior, or rather possibly the same Anonymous targeted Don Horsley then. As I recall (not worth looking up), as a candidate for Supervisor, Don Horsley won by a substantial percentage. It was his experience, connections, understanding of regional issues, fairness of attitude, and common sense that won him that popular election. If he runs again, I will support his candidacy again, and hope he pledges to take salary for the full 4 years.
In prior comments, an Anonymous asked "what has our Supervisor done for Pacifica?" Well, this is one, ($500,000 toward the cost of building or developing a new library). Don Horsley also supported keeping Sharp Park golf course. We know he is an advocate for our coastal region, and for regional county health and safety. His interest in the future, including vision of of growing our produce locally is of interest to me.
The library will never happen. $35 million dollars. Pipe dream.
BTW Kathy, what has he done for Pacifica lately?
One correction Steve: Instead of "...then said he was going to take one", you should say "then announced that he had already started taking one". That was after he promised not to take one as part of his campaign.
You're right, Kathy... He didn't promise not to take a salary forever. But he didn't put a time limit on an of his other campaign promises either. Does that mean none of them are valid any more?
I'd still vote for him over some frog lover like Vargas, but the entire incident was just sleazy.
I voted for Horsely. Not because he waived the Supe's salary although I thought that was admirable. I don't know how much political mileage he got out of that salary waiver, but he erased it all with that mother of all public relations bumbles. Our former top county cop should know better. Inept is about the best that can be said about the whole thing. Who else is running?
Kathy @11:26 a.m. It might appear that Don Horsley did a good thing finding 500k to put toward a nerw library. However, isn't that a bit like giving your kid a down payment for a house when he/she has no job and no way to make the payments; it's not really a favor after all.
I keep hearing the figure of $35 million bandied about but don't recall where that money is supposed to come from other than a bond. Doubtful that enough Pacificans are going to vote themselves into even deeper debt for that library.
Better to dig up Andrew Carnegie and try to revive him. There's a man who knew how to get a library built !
Please, please; no responses about "Andrew who?"
What did Andrew Carnegie have to do with Pacifica?
@12:47: I'm assuming that your post is tongue-in-cheek, however. for your edification : Following Andrew Carnegie's success as a steel tycoon, he became a well respected philanthropist. As such, he is credited with providing financial support to some 2800 libraries across the U.S. He is sometimes referred to as the Father of the Library System.
I;m not certain if your question should be phrased as, "what did Andrew Carnegie have to do with Pacifica ?" It might be more proper to ask, "would Andrew Carnegie have anything to do with Pacifica?"
@440 He might. His personal credo was to spend 1/3rd of your life learning all you could, 1/3 acquiring wealth, and 1/3 giving that wealth away. Endowing libraries in the US, Scotland and elsewhere--he was a canny Scot immigrant--was an excellent way to kill 2 birds with one stone.
Lord knows, perpetually broke Pacifica could use a philanthropist like Carnegie, although his tough, practical side might be put off by our very flat learning curve and fast and loose use of public funds.
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