Santa Clarita proposes new City Council districts

February 22 2023 the City of Santa Clarita released proposed City Council Maps. Since the City’s creation Santa Clarita has used an at-large election format where the entire city votes for each member of the City Council. However, a recent civil rights lawsuit has argued that this model suppresses minority voices, particularly the subnational Hispanic population in Santa Clarita. Instead of fighting this legal action the city chose to settle, citing the fact that a city has never defeated such a civil rights lawsuit in the past.

The new city council maps would divide Santa Clarita into five districts, with District One, encompassing Newhall and parts of Canyon Country, being more than 60 percent Latino. District Two would encompass most of Valencia, District Three would be partially divided between Valencia and Saugus, District Four would cover East Saugus and District Five would represent the remaining parts of Canyon Country not part of District One.

Residents of Santa Clarita have had mixed reviews of the new maps, with some declaring the maps a victory for equality and others questioning how the new maps will change the City’s political landscape. The public will have two opportunities to comment on the new maps, with the first public hearing taking place March 1 and the second taking place April 13. After the two hearings conclude the demographers who drew the map will propose new maps that take into account public input, with the City voting on whether or not to adopt the new maps shortly after.