Huntington Beach has spent years distinguishing itself from much of California politically, electing a Republican supermajority to its city council while frequently clashing with the Democratic-controlled state government. Now, residents say a court ruling could fundamentally change how the city chooses its leaders.
An Orange County Superior Court judge has tentatively ordered Huntington Beach to adopt a ranked-choice voting system after finding that the city’s current at-large method of electing council members violates the California Voting Rights Act.
The decision follows years of litigation over whether Huntington Beach’s election system provides fair representation for minority communities, particularly residents of the predominantly Latino Oak View neighborhood.
According to the Voice of OC, Judge Craig Griffin’s ruling would replace the city’s longstanding at-large system, under which voters elect city council members citywide in staggered elections, with ranked-choice voting.
The lawsuit was originally brought by Huntington Beach resident Victor Valladares, who has advocated for election changes for nearly a decade.
“I got a lot of pushback from the majority council in the past,” Valladares told Voice of OC. “When certain candidates were elected in 2017, I brought up the idea of electoral voting districts and they were not in favor.”
Following the court’s ruling, Valladares expressed optimism that the new system would encourage broader representation.
“I’m optimistic that things will be better with the victory that we had in court to get candidates that have the best interest of the community and not big donors,” he said.
His attorney, Kevin Shenkman, also welcomed the decision, arguing that the new system could reshape the city’s political leadership.
“I think ranked-choice voting with all seven seats up at the same time will also give sane residents of Huntington Beach the ability to bring some sanity to a city council that has otherwise demonstrated its insanity over the past several years,” Shenkman told the outlet.
Judge Griffin based his ruling on the California Voting Rights Act, which prohibits election systems that impair the ability of protected groups to elect candidates of their choice or meaningfully influence election outcomes.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the plaintiffs persuaded the court that Latino voters in the Oak View neighborhood lacked sufficient electoral influence under the existing at-large system.
The ruling has generated strong opposition from many Huntington Beach residents and elected officials, who argue that the city already has a fair electoral process and view the lawsuit as an attempt to alter the city’s political makeup.
“I’m not a fan,” resident Cindy Guinasso told the New York Post.
“I haven’t seen it be extremely successful in other states. I’ve heard that more states are trying to get rid of it because it has not been beneficial,” she said.
Guinasso also questioned whether a court should impose such a significant change to the city’s election system.
“There are people trying to move us to be more like the rest of California,” she said. “We’re trying to spend money more wisely. We’re trying to be more fair and not be a one-party state. They’re trying to push us into this one-party state and the rank-choice voting helps them do that. We’re a local community that needs to be run by locals—not big government.”
State Sen. Tony Strickland, who previously served as Huntington Beach’s mayor, also criticized the ruling.
“The folks just don’t want democracy,” Strickland told the Post. “Only one city in Orange County uses this kind of election process, and the state—we don’t have a viable voting system to adhere to.”
Current City Council member and former Mayor Gracy Larrea-Van Der Mark similarly argued that the lawsuit addresses a problem she does not believe exists.
“We don’t have a problem—they’re creating a problem,” she said. “Our charter already provides for a fair and equitable system, and I don’t believe any other system would provide any better representation for our residents.”
Following the June 25 ruling, Huntington Beach City Attorney Mike Vigliotta told the Los Angeles Times that the city was reviewing the decision with outside counsel before determining its next legal steps.
City officials have a limited window to decide whether to appeal. If the ruling ultimately stands, questions remain about whether Huntington Beach could implement a ranked-choice voting system in time for the November elections. Other jurisdictions that have adopted similar systems have faced delays related to certification, ballot design, voter education, and election administration.
