Facing legal challenge, Pacifica intends to transition to district-based voting

The city of Pacifica is reluctantly preparing to transition from at-large to district-based elections, responding to a legal challenge involving the California Voting Rights Act, the City Clerk’s Office announced last month.

Pacifica is one of hundreds of cities statewide facing a challenge from a Southern California law firm alleging violations of the voting act. A letter from Kevin Shenkman of the Shenkman & Hughes firm was delivered to Pacifica on Aug. 20, alleging its at-large City Council election system is “racially polarized, resulting in minority vote dilution.”