Hermosa Beach to realign local elections
Hermosa Beach City Hall. File photo Citing dismal turnout figures in recent elections for local offices, the Hermosa Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to shift its local elections from odd years to even ones, bringing them into alignment with general elections for president and governor. The decision makes Hermosa the latest city to comply with SB 415, a California law intended to increase political participation in local government by putting those offices up for election at the same time as elections for president and governor, which tend to have far higher participation rates. Over the past four general elections, voter turnout in Hermosa has average 71.79 percent, while only 26.92 percent of voters cast ballots in the 2015 local election. Realignment will require lengthening the terms of council members elected in 2017 and 2019 to five years instead of the traditional four, bringing them to an end in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Councilmembers agreed that changing the terms of future council members, and giving voters notice that it would be done, was preferable to modifying the terms of those already in office. But the council split on whether the terms of future…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com