Jessie LopezVoted no
2:55:18Voted with Hernandez, then spent the deadlock working boundary changes through with the demographer live.
7March
2022
2022
Special City Council Meeting · One key issue
The council spent almost four hours trying to choose new ward boundaries and failed to choose any.
▶ Check this moment · 1:05:19
5.0 hours
1 agenda items
1 located in video
58% attributed to a named speaker
Brief
What happened
Monday, March 7, 2022
- 01
The city charter requires five of seven votes to adopt a map, and every map put to a vote drew only four.
▶1:39:01Explore this issue
Related agenda item 1Open agenda item →Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Member positions
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted no1:39:12Voted against the maps Mendoza's bloc put forward and for the alternative that later also fell short.
Vicente SarmientoVoted no1:07:43Seconded a motion so it could be debated but voted against it, and backed the map the other bloc supported.
Thai Viet PhanRaised concerns4:58:48The only member on the winning side of both four-to-three votes, and the one who pressed hardest on how little time was left.
Phil BacerraVoted yes1:39:12Voted with Mendoza and Penaloza for the maps that failed at four votes, and against the map the other bloc backed.
David PenalozaVoted yes1:39:12Voted with the same bloc throughout, and asked the clerk to send several possible dates for the next attempt.
Nelida MendozaVoted yes1:06:12Moved to adopt a map after weighing the testimony, and voted with the bloc that twice reached four votes and stalled.
- 02
The council split four to three twice in opposite directions, with Councilmember Phan the only member on the winning side of both.
▶2:22:01Explore this issue
Related agenda item 1Open agenda item →Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Member positions
Jessie LopezVoted no2:55:18Voted with Hernandez, then spent the deadlock working boundary changes through with the demographer live.
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted no1:39:12Voted against the maps Mendoza's bloc put forward and for the alternative that later also fell short.
Vicente SarmientoVoted no1:07:43Seconded a motion so it could be debated but voted against it, and backed the map the other bloc supported.
Thai Viet PhanRaised concerns4:58:48The only member on the winning side of both four-to-three votes, and the one who pressed hardest on how little time was left.
Phil BacerraVoted yes1:39:12Voted with Mendoza and Penaloza for the maps that failed at four votes, and against the map the other bloc backed.
David PenalozaVoted yes1:39:12Voted with the same bloc throughout, and asked the clerk to send several possible dates for the next attempt.
Nelida MendozaVoted yes1:06:12Moved to adopt a map after weighing the testimony, and voted with the bloc that twice reached four votes and stalled.
- 03
Having deadlocked, members spent the rest of the evening redrawing boundaries live with the demographer, trying to build something five of them could accept.
▶2:55:18Explore this issue
Related agenda item 1Open agenda item →Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Member positions
Jessie LopezVoted no2:55:18Voted with Hernandez, then spent the deadlock working boundary changes through with the demographer live.
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted no1:39:12Voted against the maps Mendoza's bloc put forward and for the alternative that later also fell short.
Vicente SarmientoVoted no1:07:43Seconded a motion so it could be debated but voted against it, and backed the map the other bloc supported.
Thai Viet PhanRaised concerns4:58:48The only member on the winning side of both four-to-three votes, and the one who pressed hardest on how little time was left.
Phil BacerraVoted yes1:39:12Voted with Mendoza and Penaloza for the maps that failed at four votes, and against the map the other bloc backed.
David PenalozaVoted yes1:39:12Voted with the same bloc throughout, and asked the clerk to send several possible dates for the next attempt.
Nelida MendozaVoted yes1:06:12Moved to adopt a map after weighing the testimony, and voted with the bloc that twice reached four votes and stalled.
- 04
More than a dozen residents and community organisations spoke, almost all urging the council to adopt the maps drawn by the Santa Ana Redistricting Coalition.
▶39:16Explore this issue
Related agenda item 1Open agenda item →Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Member positions
Jessie LopezVoted no2:55:18Voted with Hernandez, then spent the deadlock working boundary changes through with the demographer live.
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted no1:39:12Voted against the maps Mendoza's bloc put forward and for the alternative that later also fell short.
Vicente SarmientoVoted no1:07:43Seconded a motion so it could be debated but voted against it, and backed the map the other bloc supported.
Thai Viet PhanRaised concerns4:58:48The only member on the winning side of both four-to-three votes, and the one who pressed hardest on how little time was left.
Phil BacerraVoted yes1:39:12Voted with Mendoza and Penaloza for the maps that failed at four votes, and against the map the other bloc backed.
David PenalozaVoted yes1:39:12Voted with the same bloc throughout, and asked the clerk to send several possible dates for the next attempt.
Nelida MendozaVoted yes1:06:12Moved to adopt a map after weighing the testimony, and voted with the bloc that twice reached four votes and stalled.
- 05
The meeting ended with no map chosen and no agreed date for the next one, three weeks before the deadline.
▶4:58:43Explore this issue
Related agenda item 1Open agenda item →Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Member positions
Jessie LopezVoted no2:55:18Voted with Hernandez, then spent the deadlock working boundary changes through with the demographer live.
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted no1:39:12Voted against the maps Mendoza's bloc put forward and for the alternative that later also fell short.
Vicente SarmientoVoted no1:07:43Seconded a motion so it could be debated but voted against it, and backed the map the other bloc supported.
Thai Viet PhanRaised concerns4:58:48The only member on the winning side of both four-to-three votes, and the one who pressed hardest on how little time was left.
Phil BacerraVoted yes1:39:12Voted with Mendoza and Penaloza for the maps that failed at four votes, and against the map the other bloc backed.
David PenalozaVoted yes1:39:12Voted with the same bloc throughout, and asked the clerk to send several possible dates for the next attempt.
Nelida MendozaVoted yes1:06:12Moved to adopt a map after weighing the testimony, and voted with the bloc that twice reached four votes and stalled.
How this brief was made
The current summaries were prepared during an in-session review of the transcripts. This prototype shows only sentences with a timestamp citation. 0 uncited sentences were withheld from this page.
Focus
Where they differed
Splits in votes or reasoning
The council deadlocked on the ward map, splitting four to three in both directions and never reaching the five votes the charter requires.
Voted with Hernandez, then spent the deadlock working boundary changes through with the demographer live.
Voted against the maps Mendoza's bloc put forward and for the alternative that later also fell short.
Seconded a motion so it could be debated but voted against it, and backed the map the other bloc supported.
The only member on the winning side of both four-to-three votes, and the one who pressed hardest on how little time was left.
Voted with Mendoza and Penaloza for the maps that failed at four votes, and against the map the other bloc backed.
Voted with the same bloc throughout, and asked the clerk to send several possible dates for the next attempt.
Moved to adopt a map after weighing the testimony, and voted with the bloc that twice reached four votes and stalled.
Agenda
Every item
1 items in agenda order
Business Calendar
▶1:04:38 Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
- This was another hearing in the run to redraw the city's six wards, and the council came to it after several meetings of testimony.1:05:19
- Councilmember Mendoza said she had weighed the many opinions heard and moved to adopt a map.1:06:12
- The mayor seconded it so that it could be discussed, while making clear he had comments of his own.1:07:43
- The vote came back four to three, and the clerk had to explain that the motion still failed because the charter demands a supermajority of five.1:39:01
- Councilmembers Mendoza, Penaloza, Phan and Mayor Pro Tem Bacerra voted yes, with Councilmembers Hernandez and Lopez and Mayor Sarmiento against.1:39:12
- A second map went down the same way, four to three and one vote short.1:41:24
- Later the split reversed, with Hernandez, Lopez, Phan and the mayor in favour and Mendoza, Penaloza and Bacerra against, and that map failed on the same supermajority rule.2:30:17
- With no combination reaching five, Councilmember Lopez began working through boundary changes with the demographer on screen, moving neighbourhoods between wards to see what the population numbers would allow.2:55:18
- Councilmember Phan asked the clerk to circulate two or three possible dates at once, noting there were only three weeks and two days left before the deadline.4:58:48
- The meeting adjourned without a map and without a date fixed for the next attempt.4:58:43
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