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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSB 1164 (Cervantes) Elections - City of San Luis Obispo - Oppose unless amendedCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org July 29, 2026 The Honorable Buffy Wicks Chair, Assembly Appropriations Committee 1020 N Street, Room 104 Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: SB 1164 (Cervantes) – Elections - Oppose Unless Amended Dear Chair Wicks and the Assembly Appropriations Committee, On behalf of the City of San Luis Obispo, I am writing to respectfully oppose SB 1164 (Cervantes) unless amended. The City supports protecting voting rights and ensuring equitable participation in the democratic process. However, as drafted, SB 1164 significantly expands litigation exposure for local governments without providing clear standards for compliance or meaningful opportunities to engage with affected individuals and representatives to resolve alleged violations before litigation. The City has firsthand experience implementing the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) thoughtfully in response to a CVRA demand letter. Following a negotiated resolution to avoid litigation, San Luis Obispo transitioned to a new election system through a collaborative process with SVREP that required significant staff time, financial resources, and community engagement. Despite these good- faith efforts and a very positive community outcome, SB 1164 would expose jurisdictions like SLO that have already complied with the CVRA to renewed legal challenges without clearly defining what constitutes voter suppression or vote dilution. The City is particularly concerned that the bill: • Lacks clear definitions and objective standards for compliance. • Reduces opportunities for jurisdictions to cure alleged violations before litigation. • Eliminates meaningful protections for cities that have already implemented CVRA-compliant election systems. • Increases litigation risk and the associated fiscal and administrative burdens on local governments. The City shares the Legislature's commitment to protecting voting rights but believes those protections should be accompanied by clear compliance standards and reasonable opportunities for local governments to work with impacted individuals and communities to address concerns before litigation. Without these amendments, SB 1164 creates unnecessary uncertainty for jurisdictions acting in good faith to comply with state law and advance voter equity. For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo respectfully opposes SB 1164 unless amended. Sincerely, Erica A. Stewart Mayor City of San Luis Obispo cc: City of San Luis Obispo City Council Members Senator John Laird Assemblymember Dawn Addis Dave Mullinax, Cal Cities League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org