QUIRK-SILVA: STATE INACTION ALLOWED ANAHEIM REDISTRICTING FIASCO
FULLERTON, CA—Classroom teacher and Assembly candidate Sharon Quirk-Silva made the following statement regarding last week’s Anaheim City Council vote denying the creation of a city council district with a majority Latino population within the city’s boundaries.
“I find the Anaheim Council’s denial of Latino residents’ voting rights appalling and an example of political gamesmanship at its worst. It shows again why politicians should not pick and choose their own voters.
“Maybe worst of all, this situation would have been prevented in the first place if state legislators hadn’t bottled up three important reforms in 2015. These three proposals would have protected the voting rights of underrepresented groups by taking redistricting out of the hands of local politicians, like those in Anaheim, and providing greater checks and balances to local redistricting.
“My opponent, Young Kim, voted against all three bills, AB 278, AB 182, and AB 1301. She and the Anaheim councilmembers responsible for last week’s travesty owe the people of Anaheim, Orange County, and California an explanation for their failure to act in the interest of all citizens.”
Quirk-Silva currently teaches 3rd grade and has spent 30 years teaching in the Fullerton School District. She is the former Mayor of Fullerton and served in the Assembly from 2012-2014.
The 65th Assembly District includes Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Palma, Stanton and most of West Anaheim.