To the Editor:

Money is being extorted from the City of Fillmore by one of its own citizens forcing the city to pay $72,000; $42,000 for the initial set up of Fillmore into geographic districts; plus another $30,000 to go to the plaintiff for their self-proclaimed suffering from being unrepresented in city council (tongue in cheek). That sounds extreme, but it is true. One citizen labeling themselves as “a member of a protected class and registered voter” (Really? Who isn’t in a protected class?) feels they have been unrepresented in our votes for City Council and to correct this system, they are threatening the city with a very large lawsuit if Fillmore refuses to comply with districting as opposed to an “at-large voting method as we currently have.

For the citizens who do not know what this means, in a nutshell, instead of voting for 5 individual candidates for City Council from anywhere within the city, you have only 1 vote from the area that has been designated to you by this “Districting”. If a candidate wins in your district, but does not share your same ideals or priorities for the City, there are no other options.

As with our current “at large” system, our voters have 5 opportunities from a selection of candidates at election time. If you have concerns for the city, a citizen can take that concern to one of the 5 likeminded council members.
What becomes problematic, is the outlining of the districts themselves where potential “gerrymandering” can occur. This is where either party can manipulate boundaries to affect the outcome of the election.
So the question is, why would one citizen feel justified to strong arm Fillmore that already has a 71% Hispanic population and 66% representation on the City Council? The only other “protected class” that has been pushing the envelope of acceptance in our schools and parades are the gay and transgender. Might this person feel unrepresented? It has been told, they have also been on our council. Is this just a payday for ambulance chasing lawyers asking for a citizen to be a surrogate citizen on their behalf?

This is happening all over the state of California. It is called the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) where cities are losing to the tyranny of another states mandated manipulation to control our citizenry. We ask that you attend the next Fillmore City Council meeting discussing this subject on October 24, October 26, November 24 and November 28 to voice your opinion. Concerns also need to be directed to our state representative. In our district, it is Congresswoman Julie Brownley.

- Concerned Citizen for Fair Voting in Fillmore