DHKL sent a notice letter to the City of San Leandro on November 19, 2024, putting the City on notice that its at-large method of electing City Councilmembers violates the California Voting Rights Act (“CVRA”) and has diluted the voting power of Asian American voters.  The letter noted that Asian Americans are approximately 35.9% of the residents in the City of San Leandro.  In the last 12 years of San Leandro elections, many Asian American candidates for City Council have run and lost – only a couple have eked out narrow wins.  The pattern is clear: Asian American candidates are usually defeated in at-large elections.

On January 6, 2025, the San Leandro City Council passed a resolution declaring the City’s intent to transition from at-large elections to district-based elections pursuant to Elections Code section 10010, which gave the City a 45-day “safe harbor” period during which the Elections Code prohibits a CVRA lawsuit against the City from being filed.

On June 16, 2025, the San Leandro City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance establishing by-district elections for the City’s Councilmembers, to be ratified at a later election by the City’s voters to adopt a formal charter amendment.  On June 2, 2026, San Leandro voters voted overwhelmingly to approve Measure F, which adopts by-district elections.  San Leandro will hold its first by-district elections for districts 1, 3, and 5 in November 2026.