LULAC plans lawsuit, referendum for Latino representation in Houston - Axios HoustonLog InLog InAxios Houston is an Axios company.

LULAC fighting for Latino representation in Houston

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Houston lacks Latino representation on City Council, and the city’s League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) hopes a new ballot initiative next November can fix that. Driving the news: The new district maps City Council is slated to approve today might create the opportunity for a second Latino representative, but LULAC National President Domingo Garcia tells Axios that’s not enough. The big picture: The city is , yet Houston's 16-person council has only one Latino member."That's not equity and that's not fairness. It's a map to protect incumbents, not to reflect the diversity of Houston,” Garcia says of the new council district boundaries. Context: Houston is the only major Texas city with at-large council members, and LULAC believes eliminating those in exchange for more district members would help increase Latino representation. Yes, but: The city is bound by charter to have five at-large representatives. The only way to change that is through a voter-approved referendum. What's happening: When early voting starts Oct. 24, LULAC volunteers will begin gathering the 20,000 signatures needed to place a referendum on the ballot amending the city charter. City Council can also vote to place the referendum on the ballot, but LULAC officials told the in January that doesn't seem likely. Also: LULAC plans to file a lawsuit challenging at-large positions sometime in November as another avenue to get the city charter amended. "We think that's our best option at increasing Latino representation in Houston," Garcia says. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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