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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 4.E
Meeting Date: March 9, 2022
From: Charles McClendon, City Manager
Title: Second Reading of an Ordinance adjusting the Boundaries of City Council Electoral Districts of the City of Cathedral City, California as required by Elections Code Section 21621
RECOMMENDATION:
To approve the second reading of an Ordinance, by title only and waive further reading, of the City Council adjusting the Boundaries of City Council Electoral Districts of the City of Cathedral City, California.
BACKGROUND:
Every 10 years, following the decennial census, cities with by -district election systems must use new census data to review and, if needed, redraw district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. This process, c alled redistricting, ensures all districts have a nearly equal population. The redistricting process for the City of Cathedral City must be completed by April 17, 2022. The City held the first of four required public hearings on December 8, 2021 , the second public hearing on January 26, 2022 , a third public hearing/workshop on February 10, 2022 , and the fourth required Public Hearing on February 23, 2022.
DISCUSSION:
The City adopted its current district boundaries in 2017, following the transition to district-based elections and based on 2010 census data as required by law. The districts must now be redrawn using the 2020 census data and in compliance with the FAIR MAPS Act, which was adopted by the California legislature as AB 849 and took effect January 1, 2020.
Under the Act, the City Council shall draw and adopt boundaries using the following criteria in the listed order of priority (Elections Code 21621(c)):
1. Comply with the federal requirements of equal population and the Voting Rights Act
2. Be geographically contiguous
3. Undivided neighborhoods and “communities of interest” (socio -economic geographic areas that should be kept together)
4. Display easily identifiable boundaries
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5. Be compact (do not bypass one group of people to get to a mo re distant group of people)
6. Shall not favor or discriminate against a political party
Once the prioritized criteria are met, other traditional districting principles can be considered, such as:
1. Minimize the number of voters delayed from voting in 2022 to 2024
2. Respect voters’ choices/continuity in office
3. Future population growth
Analysis of the City’s current district boundaries, adjusted for the 2020 Census data, shows the districts are no longer population -balanced. The City’s population is 51,683.
The ideal district population is one-fifth of that number, or 10,337.
Determining population balance is done by measuring the spread, or deviation, between the least populated district and the greatest populated district. Deviations of 10% or less are generally considered acceptable under U.S. Supreme Court rulings on equal protection.
The current population of District 3 is measurably over the ideal at 6.15% while District 4 is somewhat under the ideal at -4.09%. Combined, those deviations b ring the City’s current total deviation to 10.24%. As such, the district boundaries should be adjusted to achieve a population balance with less than a 10% deviation.
Another consideration is the distribution of minority voters throughout the City, and whether there is a possibility of creating a majority/minority voting district as required under the federal Voting Rights Act. This analysis involves reviewing the ethnicity demographics from the census data, specifically citizens of voting age populations (CVAP). Upon review of the City’s CVAP data, creation of a majority/minority voting district (a district in which an identified minority comprises the majority of voting age population) is possible while remaining in compliance with regard to the other map ping requirements noted above.
The following is a list summarizing the dates and maps that were provided for Council’s consideration and public input:
January 26, 2022
The City’s Redistricting consultant initially prepared two draft map options for Counc il’s consideration labeled A and B.
February 10, 2022
Following the public hearing on January 26, 2022 , the City’s consultant received a map prepared by a member of the public labeled C and prepared an additional map labeled D for Council’s consideration in addition to the prior maps A and B.
February 23, 2022
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Following the public hearing on February 10, 2022, the City’s consultant modified map C and labeled it C Version 2 and prepared an additional map labeled E for Council’s consideration.
Following th e public hearing on February 23, 2022, it was the consensus of the City Council to choose map option E, which was submitted by a member of the public. It exhibits a deviation of 1.44% and Districts 1 and 4 are drawn as majority/minority Hispanic voting dis tricts. It creates compact districts and bears some similarities to the existing boundary map, particularly with regard to Districts 3 and 4. The City Council approved the introduction of the first reading of an Ordinance identifying Map Option E and is p resenting it to Council to consider the second reading and approval this evening. The deadline for the City of Cathedral City to complete the redistricting process is April 17, 2022.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
ATTACHMENTS:
Ordinance - Updated Boundaries for Council Districts
Map Version E Exhibit A