Pacific Grove City Council considers vote on measure to reduce number of council members

The Pacific Grove City Council will meet Wednesday to vote on whether to approve a referendum measure that would reduce the number of council seats from six to four.

If approved, the referendum measure would go to a vote in the November election and be implemented in November 2026. Approval of the measure would also be the first step in the council’s decision on whether to move to a district-based voting system.

Currently, in Pacific Grove, the citywide voting system allows everyone to vote for all council seats each time an election is held. A district system would divide the city into districts and voters would choose from among candidates running for a single seat. Monterey, Salinas, Marina, Greenfield and King City are county cities that currently hold district elections.

During city council discussions in March, several council members and Pacific Grove residents spoke out against a district system with a mayor and six council members. Pacific Grove has only about 15,000 residents, and some worry that the city is too small to be divided into so many districts.

Reducing the number of council members would allow the council to vote under the district system with fewer districts and bring the council more in line with other California city councils, which consist of four council seats and a mayor.

The issue of reducing the number of seats on the City Council stems from a letter sent to the council by the League of United Latin American Citizens in August 2022, asking the city to change its at-large voting system to a district voting system for municipal elections in order to comply with the California Voting Rights Act. If the city does not take action, the citizens group has threatened to file a lawsuit and seek legal assistance “to pursue our legal remedies,” the letter reads.

Moreover, if the city chooses to keep its at-large voting system and defend itself against a threatened lawsuit, it could cost millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees and court costs.

According to city attorney Brian Pierik, no jurisdiction has ever won a lawsuit based on California’s Voting Rights Act. Pacific Grove voters also had the opportunity to vote for fewer council seats previously in 2022, but the measure lost by 13 votes.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the council will hold a public hearing on a lease agreement for the site of the former Lovers Point Grill, which has been closed since March. The council will vote on a five-year lease between the city and Sunset Hospitality Group, which currently operates Stokes Adobe in Monterey.

If approved, the new establishment will be called Lover’s Point Snack Bar and will offer burgers and chicken sandwiches, sides like fries, pretzels and clam chowder, drinks and desserts. It will be a takeout and order service only.

The proposed schedule provides for the lease to begin on August 19.

Another public hearing is scheduled on the collection of annual sewer fees, but city staff will recommend that council postpone the discussion to another date.

For the past year, Monterey One Water has been preparing cities for its decision to change its billing from biweekly to annual rates. The move was proposed as a way for Monterey One Water to save money by collecting fees through county property taxes. However, at the most recent Monterey One Water board meeting, the board failed to meet the voting requirements to move forward with the move.

This led several cities to stop approving any changes, including Seaside, Salinas and Monterey.

The City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Pacific Grove City Hall, 300 Forest Ave. and can be viewed online via Zoom at https://www.cityofpacificgrove.org/Zoom_CC.