A timeline for public hearings on Santa Clarita’s district-based elections will start after May 15, the current deadline for the “Safer at Home” order, city officials said Tuesday.
City Council made the decision to continue its discussion with legal counsel as the result of a March 19 vote by the council to transition from at-large to district-based elections for future city council elections. The move came as the result of a threat letter sent by a Bay Area attorney, according to city officials.
The City Council first received two public comments Tuesday — one in support and one opposed — and later met in closed session. Once council members finished in closed session, they returned to open session, where City Attorney Joseph Montes announced an update on the scheduled public hearings.
“The council gave unanimous direction to bring back an agenda item at the next meeting to revise the public hearing scheduled for the transition to districts, based upon the current county order, which lasts through May 15,” he said.
The upcoming meeting, which would be the first regular meeting during the coronavirus pandemic, is set for April 28, when the City Council is expected to consider and vote on the schedule.
Public hearings are expected to offer the community an opportunity to offer feedback about the composition of districts before the City Council votes on an ordinance that would institutionalize the transition to district-based elections.
