BREAKING NEWS: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund files lawsuit against FPUD to hold district elections for board of directors

FALLBROOK - A Latino civil rights organization announced today, June 24, they have filed a lawsuit designed to force the Fallbrook Public Utilities District to hold district elections for its board of directors.

The lawsuit was filed in San Diego Superior Court by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which contends the Fallbrook agency is violating the California Voting Rights Act.

Because the board is selected solely through district-wide elections, there has not been a Latino representative in decades, according to MALDEF.

"Public utility districts, particularly those as powerful as Fallbrook, must comply with the CVRA,'' said Thomas Saenz, MALDEF's president and general counsel. "Governance in a democracy should be open and fair in every district and for every board, no matter how specialized.''

An FPUD spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MALDEF examined election returns, demographic information and Spanish-surname analysis of votes cast by precinct, and concluded that "persistent racially polarized voting'' was preventing Latinos from selecting candidates of their choice.

"Over 40 percent of the residents of Fallbrook Public Utility are Latino, yet there has been no Latino representation on the board in recent history,'' said Denise Hulett, MALDEF national senior counsel. "District elections will afford all voters a meaningful opportunity to fully participate in the selection of Fallbrook's representatives, and a voice in its future governance.''

MALDEF is seeking a court order to block FPUD's current voting system and force the agency to implement an election system using single-member districts.