Inland Empire United Reaches Settlement with Riverside County in Voting Rights Case

On September 12, 2023, Inland Empire United and individual Riverside County residents represented by Altshuler Berzon LLP reached a settlement agreement with Riverside County to dramatically expand access to political participation in Riverside County for historically underrepresented communities. The settlement in Inland Empire United, et al. v. Riverside County, et al., No. CVRI2202423 (Riverside Superior Court), guarantees county funding of $1.75 per voter in low turnout areas for voter education and outreach efforts in contested elections through 2030 (substantially more than the County has funded in previous elections), as well as Spanish language translation of Board of Supervisors and Registrar of Voters documents and live Spanish interpretation of meetings and hearings through 2030. The settlement will also ensure that the County provides Spanish language ballots and election materials through 2030, and will require that any redistricting of the supervisorial map that occurs in the County through 2030 will be done by an independent redistricting commission, rather than by the Board of Supervisors themselves.

 

The settlement resolves litigation filed by Inland Empire United and the individual petitioners in 2022 challenging the supervisorial map adopted in 2021 as unlawful under California’s FAIR MAPS Act. Petitioners argued that the map diluted the ability of members of the underrepresented Latino community to equally and fully participate in the political process. The settlement provides relief targeted to expand those opportunities.

 

Altshuler Berzon LLP represents Inland Empire United and four individual petitioners in the case. The ACLU Foundation of Southern California and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP represent two other individual petitioners. For a prior post about this litigation, see here.

 

The final settlement agreement is here.