With their vote on Measure P, residents in the city of Soledad can change the way their mayor is elected. The mayor is currently elected in an at-large election. But a new five-district map approved by the Soledad City Council would change that. In the new system, the role of mayor would rotate between city council members annually.
Measure P challenges the five-district map, though its wording is somewhat contradictory.
A yes vote on the measure means the five-district map stays intact and gets implemented in November. A no vote would force the Soledad City Council to consider new maps, including a four-district map in which Soledad residents can still vote directly for their mayor.
How the measure got to the ballot
In 2003, a vast majority of Soledad voters chose to approve Measure C, which imposed an at-large system to elect the city’s mayor and four council members. That means residents vote for their city council and mayor regardless of where they live in the city.
But two years ago, the city received a letter asserting that their current system violated the California Voting Rights Act. Other cities in California have gotten a similar notice over the past few years, including Monterey, Greenfield, Marina and Gonzales. Since the CVRA was established in 2001, over 190 cities have switched to or are in the process of transitioning to by-district voting systems — including Soledad, Monterey, Greenfield, Marina and Gonzales.
In response, Soledad City Council approved a five-district map last year that puts each voter in one of five neighborhood districts; each district elects one city council member. In this system, the role of mayor would rotate between city council members each year, instead of being a directly elected position.
King City is currently the only city in Monterey County with a rotating mayor model. The city switched in 2016.
Community group Soledad Committee for Voting Rights challenged the map and collected just under 1,400 signatures in support of placing Measure P on the March 2024 ballot. The Soledad City Council voted 4-0 last December to approve the measure’s placement on the ballot.
What do Yes on P and No on P supporters say about their respective votes?
Yes on P supporters, including two current council members, Ben Jimenez Jr. and Maria Corralejo, say the five-district map would allow residents from each Soledad district to have a mayor from their neighborhood. They did not respond to requests for comment from KAZU.
In the argument submitted to the Monterey County Elections Department, Jimenez Jr. and Corralejo assert that a yes vote on the measure results in an “equitable governance structure that prioritizes the needs of all neighborhoods in the city.”
“This will ensure that community members have a chance to have a mayor from within their own neighborhood,” they wrote.
The council members also point to the fact that the five-district map was approved by a majority vote of the City Council. Alejandro Chavez, one of the council members who voted for the five-district map, resigned in November last year. His seat is up for reelection during the primary, and whoever wins will fill the position through 2026, which could change the balance of support for the five-district map.
Another argument from Yes on P supporters is that the five-district map and by-district system means “all local people are represented and not outside political interests.”
But lifelong Soledad resident Fernando Ansaldo, who supports No on P, said the outside political interest argument is “misleading.”
“You can't run for council or mayor unless you're a resident of Soledad,” he said. He also said the rotating mayor model could result in one person holding the mayoral position for an extended period of time, citing King City, where Michael LeBarre has been mayor since 2016.
Ansaldo is part of the voting rights committee and a candidate for city council. He says that voting no on Measure P and supporting a direct mayoral election is crucial to the city’s future.
No on P supporters have been in favor of a four-district map that still allows the mayoral position to remain at-large.
“I think it would really hurt Soledad if Measure P passes,” Ansaldo said. “Soledad is aiming to double in size within the next 10 to 20 years, and … if we want to make sure that we’re doing that successfully, we need to listen to the community. The community is not going to engage with the city if rights are being taken away.”
Other No on P supporters, including the Soledad Committee for Voting Rights and Soledad’s current mayor, Anna Velasquez, say a no vote protects Soledad residents’ right to have a direct say in who governs them.
If the five-district map takes effect in Nov. 2024, Velasquez wouldn’t be able to run for another term. The former council member was elected in 2020, but redistricting places her in District 2 — which isn’t up for election until 2026.
What happens after the vote?
If Measure P passes, the shift to a rotational mayoral system would remain intact and could not be changed back to an at-large system — in which the mayor is directly elected — for at least one year. Starting this November, the five-district map would be effective.
If it fails, action will turn back to the Soledad City Council. It could revisit a four-district map that would allow for a direct mayoral election.
Monica Andrade with the Soledad Committee for Voting Rights also floated the idea of placing a ballot initiative on the November ballot to formally establish the mayoral position as an at-large position.
“If we do that, then no council, present or future, will be able to change our election system without coming to the voters first,” she said, citing potential shifts like mayoral term limit adjustments.
Ultimately, the measure asks Soledad residents to vote on their city’s electoral future.
