MALDEF Threatens to Sue Monrovia Over Its City Council Election Procedure

MONROVIA, CA — The city of Monrovia has been issued a demand letter from Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund requesting that the city's current at-large based system for electing city council members be converted into a district-based electoral system.

In the letter, MALDEF cites both the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 and the purported lack of Latino representation on the city council as the basis for its demand. Furthermore, MALDEF’s correspondence states the group's intention to seek judicial relief if they do not receive a satisfactory response from the city by Aug. 24.

“We certainly do take the demand letter issued by MALDEF seriously, especially given that Monrovia has had such a rich history of electing individuals that represent a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives to serve on the city council,” City Manager Oliver Chi said. “Given the issues that MALDEF has raised and the manner in which those matters have been articulated, we are working to schedule a special meeting next week for the city council to discuss this particular issue.

"We would note, however, that prior to receiving their letter on Aug. 10, 2016, the city had not been contacted by any representatives from MALDEF, nor have we received any complaints about the city’s current at-large system for electing city council members.”

— News release from the city of Monrovia