SPV Q & A District 3 Council

South Poway Votes

Questions and Answers –District 3

1. District Elections

A. Do you think the district elections are a positive or negative thing for Poway voters? Please explain your thinking.

B. Would you support a 4 district citizen’s commission to redraw/rebalance the district boundaries after the 2020 census or would you prefer that the council members do it? Again, please explain your thinking.

Joe Calabrese- declined to participate

John Mullin 

Question 1

My perspective on district elections is already on record, but I’m happy to expand on it here. I do not think district elections are a positive for Poway.

The CVRA – and by extension, district elections – is based on the premise that the needs, beliefs, opinions and values of Hispanic or black voters are inherently different from voters at large. That is racist on its face. 

I reject the concept that your ethnicity or race is an inherent determinant of your values and what you expect from government at any level. I consequently submit that the CVRA is based on a false premise.

Applying its consequences to Poway, district elections diminish a Council Member’s responsibility to set policy and make decisions for the betterment of our City as a whole. I very much dislike that under district elections you or I can vote for only one Council Member while 3 others for whom we cannot vote for or against can make decisions that affect us. 

If you or I disagree with the decisions or conduct of a Council Member, present company included, you should be able to express that dissatisfaction at the polls. With district elections, you cannot and that is not good for Poway or good for anybody.

Question 2.

If the next census shows our districts to be out of balance, subject of course to what is allowed in the Government Code, I would prefer to make adjustments to balance the districts without starting from scratch. 

Neither John Mullin or Joe Calabrese answered any more questions.