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 candidates should be lengthened to five years, as was ultimately done, or shortened to three years, making for elections in 2020 and 2022.
Councilmember Stacey Armato said she could see arguments for both sides, but led the push for temporary five-year terms to minimize the burdens associated with campaigning.
Mayor pro tem Justin Massey and Councilmember Carolyn Petty disagreed, arguing that the possibility that a longer term would discourage otherwise interested people from running.
“There is no question that when people gauge the workload, when they we are here till one in the morning, we are going to have fewer people running,” Petty said.
California cities have until Jan. 1, 2018 to develop a plan to comply with the law. Neighboring Manhattan Beach voted to do so by abbreviating the terms of some existing council members, a step required because that city has traditionally held its elections in March.
Updates on Pier Plaza security
The Thanksgiving weekend marks the end of the stay for the private security now deployed along Pier Plaza, HBPD Chief Sharon Papa told the council earlier on Tuesday night.
Papa said that she wanted the Frontline Security guards for the holiday weekend, especially the night before Thanksgiving, which is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for taverns. But the guards are likely to leave once the weekend concludes.
The added security began appearing on the plaza earlier this month, following an incident there in which a police officer fractured his elbow after being shoved while in pursuit of a suspect. The assembled crowd began jeering at officers, who called for backup from neighboring cities to secure the area. Papa said that, in addition to the officer injured in the pursuit, five additional officers are currently out with injuries, temporarily straining the department’s resources and necessitating the private security guards.
While the Frontline employees have been adequate, Papa said that the solution to improving security in the area would ultimately result not from additional officers, but from improving the environment, such as additional lighting in surrounding parking lots.
“It’s not going to be enforcement alone that solves this problem,” Papa said.
