Attempt to Redraw District Lines (Again) Poised to Fail in Santa Clara

Updated Friday, 4:30 p.m.

An attempt to change how Santa Clara residents choose their city council members appears headed for defeat.

As of Friday afternoon, Measure C gathered just over 38% of the vote. For up to date vote counts see KQED’s election result page. County election officials generally officially announce whether the measures passed a month after the election.

The measure has divided city leaders and caught the attention of the city’s most famous occupant — the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers poured money into opposing Measure C, with owner, Jed York, donating more than $330,000 to fight the measure just a week before the primary.

The measure was put on the ballot by the Santa Clara City Council, and some council members were skeptical of the football team’s intentions, especially in light of the council’s rocky relationship with the team over the management of Levi’s Stadium.

Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilwoman Teresa O’Neill supported the measure, which would shrink the city’s six districts into three, with two council members representing each district. Before 2018, the city of approximately 129,000 voted for its council members through an “at-large” system, in which six city council members represented the entire city.

After a court found that the at-large system diluted Asian American votes, the city was split up into six districts, with council members each representing one district.

After that change, Raj Chahal became the first Asian American elected to Santa Clara City Council.

Chahal and Councilwoman Karen Hardy opposed Measure C.

Chahal represents District 2 and felt the six-district system helped him campaign as someone from outside of politics. For instance, he was able to walk across his district to campaign. And while District 2 doesn’t have a large Asian population (the district’s highest racial demographic is white), Chahal has said that the smaller district allowed him to connect with each individual voter.

“Electing council members from six districts helps make sure that the diversity of our neighborhoods is reflected on [the] City Council and also represents [the] city’s diversity of opinions, backgrounds and neighborhoods,” said Chahal.

Councilwoman O’Neill expressed disappointment in the results, but said she was heartened that voters care about the issue. “I’m happy that people are engaged, they want to participate,” she said. “If they’re engaged and participating, we’ll figure out a solution.”

The fate of the city’s voting system remains unclear. The 2018 court ruling to split the city into six districts is currently under appeal, and a date has not been set yet for oral arguments.