National City is one of the few jurisdictions in San Diego County still holding at-large elections. If history is any guide, that’s about to change.
A group of Asian-American and Filipino-American activists has threatened to sue the city if it does not switch to district-based elections.
“Historically, National City has had at-large voting, which has resulted in dilutive voting for the Filipino and APIs that reside in the city,” said attorney Audie de Castro.
In the past two decades, there hasn't been any significant progress in getting Filipinos and (Asian Pacific Islanders) to be represented on the City Council,” he added.
De Castro sent a letter to the mayor and the city council last month urging them to make the switch. They have until Dec. 23 to respond with a district election voting plan.