The Santa Clarita City Council appointed Councilman Jason Gibbs as the first-ever representative of the city’s 3rd District during a special meeting Monday evening.
City Council members basically had two options, according to the city clerk: Put Gibbs’ name on the ballot as the lone candidate for the position, which would have cost the city approximately $120,000; or name Gibbs to the seat.
Councilwoman Laurene Weste moved to appoint Gibbs and cancel the election for his seat shortly after Mayor Cameron Smyth called for a motion.
Gibbs was the only person who filed for the seat as of the city’s Aug. 9 filing deadline, according to the city clerk’s office.
The ironic ending to the city of Santa Clarita’s first election since settling a lawsuit intending to increase representation — the City Council choosing one of its own members as the only willing candidate — drew pointed questions from Smyth before the council’s vote.
“I’m not surprised that the plaintiffs that claimed that we needed to go to districts for the good of democracy are not here,” he said, referring to Sebastian Cazares and Michael Cruz.
“I just wonder if this is the democracy they were looking for, where you have no challengers in one district, only three candidates in another,” he said, referring to the District No. 1 race, which will be on the ballot in November.
He also said in the last two elections, there was a lot more participation in the citywide races.
When reached by phone Monday evening after the meeting, Cruz paraphrased former President Barack Obama.
“Progress isn’t always a straight line,” Cruz said, referring to the president’s quote, adding sometimes it zigs and zags.
“This is the first election that we’re having under district-based elections, the maps weren’t formally adopted until June, and I’m sure that in future elections you will see candidates running across all districts,” he said.
Cruz also said it’s not the first district-based election where a candidate has run unopposed, mentioning Joan MacGregor’s unopposed incumbency to the Santa Clarita Community College District board in 2022.
Cazares, who was not immediately available Monday, was elected to College of the Canyons’ governing board in 2020.
Gibbs said he was a bit relieved to not have to hit the campaign trail this fall, but he added that he had two initial thoughts reflecting upon on the situation surrounding his appointment:
He hoped that the fact that no one chose to run against him was a vote of confidence from his new District 3 constituency, although he added, “My thought process will always be for the city.”
He also understood the mayor’s questions about the lawsuit.
“I think the change to districts changes the participation level, because it causes you to be territorial, and I don’t know if that’s for better or for worse. I just hope that my appointment today is just a reflection of those who have the ability to vote for me and believe that I’m doing the job they want to see done.”
The election picture
The Santa Clarita City Council District No. 3 to be represented by Gibbs is composed mostly of Saugus and some of Valencia.
The current Santa Clarita City Council approved the district map in June to finally settle the legal complaint that the city’s at-large electoral system — previously, residents could select their top-two or top-three candidates, depending on the election — denied Latino voters an opportunity to select a candidate of their choosing.
The result was to divide the city into five districts on an electoral map, which included one district, District No. 1, with a majority of Latino voters. Starting in November, residents will only be able to vote for the representative who lives in their district.
The districts were drawn up through a public-participation process as the result of the city’s settlement agreement.
The adopted district map tried to split up Santa Clarita by its traditional communities, with a few exceptions.
There’s a district along the Interstate 5 corridor that cuts into Saugus, a district that’s largely Valencia, another that’s largely Saugus, a Canyon Country/Sand Canyon district and a Newhall district that includes western portions of Canyon Country, an area stretching to about Stillmore Street and Soledad Canyon Road.
The council voted last year to put District Nos. 1 and 3 on the November 2024 ballot. The decision not to put Gibbs on the ballot saves the city about $120,000, according to a presentation from the city clerk.
The District No. 1 race is between Patsy Ayala, Tim Burkhart and Bryce Jepsen.
The city created a website so residents can check which district they live in: residency.santa-clarita.com.
