Last night the Davis City Council endorsed AB 1121, the bill in the state Legislature that would allow up to ten general law cities and counties to use choice voting. The endorsement (see here) was passed unanimously on the consent calendar.

Davis is now the third city to endorse the bill. The other two (that we know of so far) are Menlo Park and Fort Bragg.

There's lots more on AB 1121 at Californians for Electoral Reform. As it makes its way through the Senate Elections Committee on July 7, then the Appropriations Committee, then the Senate floor, it will need active support at every step of the way. Your letters, emails, faxes and calls are important.

Please remember to contact Senator Wolk to let her know that you support giving cities and counties the option to use choice voting.

Labels: AB1121

In November 2006, Davis voters spoke out for better democracy, but the passage of Measure L didn't get us all the way there.

While Measure L demonstrated that Davis voters want Choice Voting, government red tape has blocked the will of the people. Voters in San Francisco and many other "charter cities" are already enjoying the benefits of Choice Voting, but Davis voters have been left in the lurch.

Now, a California State Bill could finally give Davis voters the right to choose. Assembly Bill 1121, would allow a small number of "general law" cities the option to use choice voting for local elections. The bill has already passed in the California Assembly, and now it needs our support to make it through the Senate.

Please take a minute to Contact Senator Wolk The most effective way to reach your Representative is with a phone call. Act now!

Call:(916) 651-4005 Sample Message: "Hi, my name is _____, and I'm from ______. I'm calling to urge Senator Wolk to champion Assembly Bill 1121, which would give local voters the right to choose how our elections are run. Davis voters have already spoken out for Choice Voting--its time to give the people the right to choose. We're counting on Senator Wolk. Thank you!"

With a city charter on the horizon that would allow Davis to implement choice voting with a vote of the city council, the June 3rd city council election is an opportunity for Davis to expedite the implementation of choice voting for Davis.

Davis Choice Voting attended the May 8th League of Women Voters Candidate Forum where the candidates discussed choice voting for Davis. When asked "will you support choice voting for Davis City Council elections," a majority of the council candidates gave positive responses. Here’s a brief summary of the candidates response to the question.

Steve Souza: "Choice voting is the next step for the planet." Steve has been a strong and consistent supporter of choice voting for years. He cited numerous examples where choice voting has been successfully used. Sees choice voting as the next step in the democratic process.

Sue Greenwald: Supports choice voting. She would prefer to use choice voting with district elections.

Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald: Cecilia was initially skeptical about choice voting, but once she understood how it works she supported it. "The will of the people is to use choice voting." Cecilia still has some concerns about becoming a charter city.

Rob Roy: Has been involved with the choice voting movement for years. "We have to be leaders here in Davis." Rob was the only candidate to mention his support for choice voting in his opening statement.

Don Saylor: Believes most voters would have a difficult time understanding choice voting. Don has supported steps toward choice voting in the past.

Sydney Vergis: Does not support becoming a charter city in order to use choice voting.

A DVD of the candidate forum will be available at the Davis Library.

The City Charter Subcommittee will present their final report to at the City Council Meeting this Tuesday. The Agenda is available here and you can view the final report here.

The Community Chambers are located in City Hall at 23 Russell Blvd (5th and B). The meeting starts at 6:30 and public comment could start as early as 6:45.

AB1294, which could be a critical step toward adoption of choice voting in Davis, has passed both houses of the legislature and arrived on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk! The bill has progressed this far because of a groundswell of grassroots support from people like you. Now its time to take action one more time by contacting governor Schwarzenegger.

This bill would allow all California cities and counties to use choice voting regardless of their charter status. Current state law only allows charter cities to choose their election system--general law cities, like Davis, don't have a choice.

Please find a sample letter to Governor Schwarzenegger here.

Don't Wait. Contact Governor Schwarzenegger now!

Thanks to everyone, we did it! With 100% of precincts reporting, Measure L passes by 55%. Check the media archive for news coverage of the win!

It's 3 AM and I've been refreshing the election results for the past five hours. Sitting here at J Street Co-Op with my fingers on "ctrl" and "r", I'm hoping my boss doesn't notice how tired I am at work tomorrow. It's easy to be excited and hopeful as the returns come in, though!

The Sacramento News and Review endorsed Measure L this week! This makes three area papers endorsing Measure L: the Sacramento News & Review, the Sacramento Bee, and the California Aggie.