Over a year after receiving a letter threatening legal action against the City, the City Council has decided to fight the lawsuit as they still look into the way they hold elections in Burbank.
The plaintiff, Nicholas Gutierrez, claimed he is a disenfranchised voter and is not being appropriately represented. Although the facts he has used to allege this is in question, the City Council took up the election question last year after receiving the letter.
Presently, the City Council has narrowed down the districts to a single map but wants to look into the entire matter further, including the election of a full-time Mayor. The Burbank Unified School District has already changed its election process without much publicity.
On Tuesday night, the City Council added an item to the Closed Session agenda at the last minute regarding the lawsuit. During the meeting, City Attorney Joe McDougall announced that the Council has decided to fight the lawsuit, although will continue to look at the process moving forward.
After the closed session ended, McDougall’s only statement was, “The City Council gave unanimous direction to defend the City against the CVRA lawsuit while the City continues to evaluate the composition of the City Council through the Charter Review Committee.”
Burbank Mayor Konstantine Anthony was also limited in what he could say, “In light of the ongoing litigation surrounding this matter, I must refrain from making any comments at this time.”
So much is still not known, but the process is now moving forward on two different fronts. We will update you when we find out more.
