Judge Rules In Favor Of Wildomar In Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by Wildomar residents against the city has been rejected, but the challenge is not over.

Wildomar residents Martha Bridges and John Burkett filed the suit against the city in November 2012. The suit claims Wildomar illegally changed its election system from a process of voting by district to the “at-large” system that exists today.

Riverside Superior Court Judge Matthew Perantoni made his ruling in favor of the city last week.

An at-large voting system allows registered voters in the city to have a voice in electing all five city council members. In a “by district” system, the city is broken up into districts and voters elect one member to represent them on the council.

The city had a by-district system in place but that was overturned during the November 2009 election. Perantoni ruled Wildomar did not break the law when it changed its system.

Bridges stated in an email that she believes the suit will ultimately be decided in the Court of Appeals.

Wildomar City Manager Gary Nordquist said the city has spent $15,000 to date fighting the case, and he expects costs to increase during the appeals process.