Reform for Anaheim

The problems the city of Anaheim is having are the result of a history that has relegated the majority of its residents to second place, causing increasing frustration. This situation exploded with a police incident that cost Manuel Díaz his life.

The arrogant image of the local police the incident left behind is similar to the feeling in the Latino community-which, despite accounting for 53% of the population, does not have a representative in the five-member City Council.

Anaheim still has an at-large system, instead of several districts representative of the city’s different areas. For a long time, this system has diluted the vote of minorities.

This has allowed for four of the city’s five council members to live in the opulent Anaheim Hills, where 55,000 (73% white) of the city’s 336,000 residents live, with a median income of $123,000 compared to the citywide median income of $57,000.

This feeling of lack of representation intensifies as the Latino population grows and sees that the City Council responds to the interests of local tourist attractions to the detriment of everyone else.

The contrast between the hills and the flatlands in Anaheim is as big as the abysm separating the flourishing of tourism investments with the social decline of the local Latino community.

The lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed against Anaheim to change its political system to district voting gets to the heart of the matter. Without adequate political representation, it is hard to have local institutions that are sensitive to the needs of the diverse communities that coexist in that city.

According to news reports, the mayor of Anaheim recently met with Disney executives to ask for programs to help the Latino community. This is a good idea. However, the problem is not about charity, but about justice.

Both the City Council and the numerous business interests in Anaheim must recognize the need for an electoral representation reform to calm the waters.

The electoral system precludes fair representation for its residents