Lake Forest Councilmembers Doug Cirbo and Robert Pequeno are up for re-election this November.
Not that either of them has to worry about winning – since they are both running unopposed.
When candidate filing closed on August 8, not a single citizen of Lake Forest stepped forward to challenge either incumbent.
Cirbo and Pequeno were both first elected in 2020 to represent District 1 and 5, respectively.
Lake Forest began electing its city council from districts beginning in 2018. The switch was in response to litigation threatened by Robert Shenkman, a Malibu-based lawyer who has made millions suing – or threatening to sue – municipalities under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Shenkman seeks out cities and school districts that don’t have “enough” minorities elected officials in proportion to that minorities percentage of the population. The terms of the CVRA make it virtually impossible for local governments to win, so most capitulate and pay Shenkman for however many hours he has racked up suing them.
The ostensible purpose of these CVRA-spurred switches to district elections is to increase minority representation. Advocates for district elections also contend they lower the barrier to entry and encourage more citizens to run.
It hasn’t exactly worked out that way in Lake Forest.
So far, only one Latino – Councilman Pequeno – has ben elected to the Lake Forest City Council since switching to districts six years ago.
In 2022, two of the three councilmembers seeking re-election wound up running unopposed.
And as noted, this year, both incumbents up for re-election failed to draw opponents.
On the other hand, the 2020 elctions featured crowded fields in both council districts – although that had more to do with both seats lacking incumbents.
