Huntington Beach has built a reputation as one of California’s most reliably conservative cities, and now it’s staring down a court ruling that could dramatically change how its elections work. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy about it.
An Orange County Superior Court judge has tentatively ordered the city to adopt ranked-choice voting after concluding that Huntington Beach’s current at-large election system runs afoul of the California Voting Rights Act. The ruling has kicked off another round in the city’s long-running legal battles with California, and residents are making it clear they don’t see this as just a debate over election procedures.
For many of them, it’s about who gets to decide how Huntington Beach governs itself.
The lawsuit stretches back years. According to the Voice of OC, the case challenged the city’s longstanding system in which voters elect city council members at large in staggered elections. The plaintiffs argued that the arrangement diluted the voting strength of minority communities, particularly residents of the predominantly Latino Oak View neighborhood.
Judge Craig Griffin agreed, citing provisions of the California Voting Rights Act that prohibit election systems that impair the ability of protected groups to elect candidates of their choice or meaningfully influence election outcomes.
The legal challenge was spearheaded by Huntington Beach resident Victor Valladares, who has advocated for election changes for nearly a decade.
“I got a lot of pushback from the majority council in the past,” Valladares told Voice of OC. “When certain candidates were elected in 2017, I brought up the idea of electoral voting districts and they were not in favor.”
Following the ruling, Valladares said he believes the decision will produce better representation.
“I’m optimistic that things will be better with the victory that we had in court to get candidates that have the best interest of the community and not big donors.”
His attorney, Kevin Shenkman, was even more direct about the political implications.
“I think ranked-choice voting with all seven seats up at the same time will also give sane residents of Huntington Beach the ability to bring some sanity to a city council that has otherwise demonstrated its insanity over the past several years,” Shenkman said.
That comment has only fueled the backlash.
Opponents of the ruling argue this isn’t simply about voting systems. They see it as an attempt to reshape the political makeup of one of the few conservative strongholds left in coastal California.
Resident Cindy Guinasso told the New York Post she worries both about ranked-choice voting itself and about having the system imposed through the courts.
“I’m not a fan,” she said. “I haven’t seen it be extremely successful in other states. I’ve heard that more states are trying to get rid of it because it has not been beneficial.”
She also questioned whether the change reflects the wishes of Huntington Beach voters.
“There are people trying to move us to be more like the rest of California,” Guinasso said. “We’re trying to spend money more wisely. We’re trying to be more fair and not be a one-party state. They’re trying to push us into this one-party state and the rank-choice voting helps them do that. We’re a local community that needs to be run by locals—not big government.”
Current and former elected officials have echoed those concerns.
State Sen. Tony Strickland, who previously served as Huntington Beach’s mayor, sharply criticized the ruling.
“The folks just don’t want democracy,” Strickland told the Post. “Only one city in Orange County uses this kind of election process, and the state—we don’t have a viable voting system to adhere to.”
Current City Council member and former Mayor Gracy Larrea-Van Der Mark argued the lawsuit is solving a problem she doesn’t believe exists.
“We don’t have a problem—they’re creating a problem,” she said. “Our charter already provides for a fair and equitable system, and I don’t believe any other system would provide any better representation for our residents.”
The city hasn’t made a final decision on how it will respond. After the June 25 ruling, City Attorney Mike Vigliotta told the Los Angeles Times that Huntington Beach was reviewing its legal options with outside counsel before determining its next step.
Time is becoming a factor. The city has only a short window to appeal, and if the ruling ultimately stands, officials would face the practical challenge of implementing an entirely new election system before November. Other jurisdictions that have adopted ranked-choice voting have encountered delays involving ballot design, voter education, software certification, and election administration.
