The Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) is urging the City of Signal Hill to switch its election process from an at-large voting system to one with distinct districts, citing an underrepresentation of the Latino vote and, in turn, Latino representation among elected officials.
The non-partisan voting rights organization is “dedicated to empowering Latino communities towards civic and voter empowerment,” according to its website. Signal Hill City Clerk Daritza Perez received a letter from the law firm Shenkman & Hughes, on behalf of SVREP, on June 20.
In the letter, SVREP accuses Signal Hill of violating the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 and gives the City until Aug. 20 to decide whether or not the City wants to voluntarily discuss switching to a district voting system.
The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 makes it easier for minority groups in California to prove that their votes are being diluted in at-large elections and forces cities to adopt voting districts. Since 2002, the law has forced over 600 jurisdictions to switch from at-large election systems to district-based ones, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
At-large Voting vs. District Voting
In an at-large voting system, officials are voted in by a city’s entire population. This type of voting became popular in the early 20th century, SVREP’s legal representative Kevin Shenkman told the Signal Tribune, since it effectively “silences the minority vote.”
This is especially true in places where voting is “racially polarized,” when different racial groups consistently vote differently, according to the Campaign Legal Center. In an at-large voting system, a minority group can have its voice silenced by the majority racial group, leaving minorities with no representation despite making up a considerable amount of the population.
“It’s a little striking,” Shenkman said, describing Signal Hill’s current at-large voting system. Shenkman & Hughes learned about Signal Hill’s voting system and history of minority representation from a phone call, he added. “In a way I’m shocked it went under the radar so long.”
In single-member district elections, a City draws district lines where residents who reside in those districts can vote for a candidate to represent their area. Long Beach adopted its nine districts for elections in 1929. However, it has come under controversy with its redrawn boundaries in 2021, where a historically Black neighborhood was split into two separate districts.
Signal Hill’s History of Latino Representation
Signal Hill has a population of roughly 11,153, according to the 2025 U.S. Census, with the Latino community comprising an estimated 37.4% of that population. White residents make up an estimated 44.9% of the population and Asian residents make up 23.1% of the community.
However, there has been no Latino representation in Signal Hill’s City Council in the past century.
“The contrast between the significant Latino proportion of the electorate and the absence of Latinos elected to the Signal Hill City Council over its entire 102-year history is outwardly disturbing and fundamentally hostile towards participation from members of this protected class,” SVREP wrote in its letter to the City.
Several Latino candidates ran for office in Signal Hill over the past few years, including Salvador Hernandez, Robert Mendoza and Edward Villanueva. None of them won a seat.
In the letter to Signal Hill, Shenkman and Hughes laid out a history of their previous legal victories, forcing cities such as Palmdale, Highland and Santa Monica to adopt district voting systems.
Signal Hill City Council held a closed session on June 8 regarding the letter from SVREP, titled on the City calendar as “conference with legal counsel – anticipated litigation pursuant to government code section 54956.9(D)(2).” This code allows a City to meet privately with legal counsel to discuss anticipated litigation “involving significant exposure to claims or lawsuits.”
The Signal Tribune contacted City Manager Carlo Tomaino inquiring about the nature of that closed session, as well as its response to the letter, but he said the City cannot comment on closed sessions until it has reportable action.
Read the full letter from SVREP to Signal Hill here.
Samantha Diaz
Managing Editor
Samantha is an award-winning journalist, sports fanatic and mother. She’s worked for the Signal Tribune for over three years and is passionate about covering environmental news, small businesses, mutual aid efforts and resources.
