CYPRESS, CA – Cypress City Councilmember Frances Marquez yesterday filed a civil rights complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of California to fight back against the Council majority’s and city manager’s unlawful tactics to stifle her efforts to represent the people of Cypress.
For nearly four years, Dr. Marquez has been the target of a series of unlawful and harassing actions by the City Council majority because she supported a transition to district-based elections in the City and spoke out against pay-to-play politics. The Council majority’s unlawful actions culminated in their unlawful suspension of Dr. Marquez’s City Council salary, their discriminatory refusal to indemnify her in litigation, and their insistence that she conduct city business only in writing—a requirement different from all other council members.
Dr. Marquez’s advocacy on behalf of Cypress residents finally led the City Council to approve district based elections in Cypress, creating greater representation for residents and avoiding potentially millions of dollars of attorneys’ fees that other cities in Orange County have been forced to pay.
Dr. Marquez issued the following statement regarding her lawsuit.
“As Cypress City Councilmember, I speak out against corruption and work to uplift our residents’ voices. That’s why I supported the transition to district-based elections to ensure all voters in Cypress have an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice that are reflective of the diversity of our community.
Instead, the Council majority chose to pursue a losing battle against our state’s Voting Rights Act and waste over $1.3 million taxpayer dollars on legal fees.
As a result of my support for voters’ rights, the majority on the Cypress City Council and the City Manager retaliated against me. Let me be clear: I will not back down, and I will not be deterred. I will continue to call out corruption and work tirelessly to provide the highest quality of service delivery for every resident of Cypress.”
The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 8:24-cv-01835.