YAKIMA — For the first time, a Latino candidate is guaranteed election to the Yakima City Council.
Two Latinos advanced in the race for District 1, and three more advanced to the general election in other districts.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reported Wednesday that the top two candidates in District 1 are Dulce Gutierrez and Russell Monteiro.
This was the first primary held under a seven-district map that includes two Latino-majority districts created under a federal judge’s order earlier this year.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the city in 2012 on behalf of two Latino residents.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice ruled last year that the old system “suffocates” the interests of Latinos, who comprise 41 percent of the population. In February, he ordered the city to adopt the seven-district system.
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