AGENDA
ITEM
____
TO: Gonzales and Soledad City Councils
FROM: Mike Rodriquez, Legal Counsel
MEETING
DATE: October 25, 2022
SUBJECT: Transition to District-Based Elections for Councilmembers- Public Hearing #1 Recommendation:
Receive a presentation from the consulting demographer selected by each City regarding the process and criteria for establishing Council district boundaries for by-district elections and hold the first of two public hearings to receive public input and questions regarding district boundaries and composition of districts before maps of proposed district boundaries are drawn.
Background:
Earlier in the year, both Gonzales and Soledad (collectively “the Cities”) received a letter asserting that the current at-large election system in each City violates the California Voting Rights Act and demanding under threat of litigation a transition to by-district voting. Thereafter, the Cities adopted resolutions declaring their intent to transition from at-large to by-district elections of council members. The Cities also entered into “tolling agreements” with the party demanding the election transition which protect the Cities from litigation until mid-January of 2023 while the Cities undertake the transition process.
Currently, under the at-large voting system, voters throughout the Cities vote for four councilmembers and a mayor. A “by-district” election is one in which a city is divided into separate districts, each with a single council member who resides within the district and who is chosen by only the voters within that particular district. Cities adopting the by-district process have the option of continuing to have the Mayor selected by an at-large process. The first bydistrict council election in the Cities would occur during the November 2024 general municipal election.
Pursuant to Elections Code Section 10010, the Cities are required to hold at least five public hearings on the transition process. Public hearings #1 and #2 must be held over a period of not more than 30 days before any map or maps of the boundaries of the proposed voting districts are drawn. At these public hearings the community is invited to ask questions and provide input on communities of interest and the composition of the districts, including the number of districts to be considered. Three subsequent public hearings will be held once the maps are drawn. Since Gonzales and Soledad are going through the transition process at the same time, a decision was made to consolidate the first two meetings as a cost-savings measure. The first meeting is being held in Gonzales, while the second meeting will be held in Soledad. Translation services will be available at both meetings.
At this first hearing the Cities’ consulting demographer, Doug Johnson from National Demographics Corporation, will provide a presentation on the process and the legal parameters that must be considered when preparing district boundaries and opportunities for the public to engage in the process. The City Councils will then receive public comments. At the end of the second public hearing the City Councils will be asked to provide direction to the Cities’ demographer regarding the criteria to be used, consistent with required legal parameters, to create one or more proposed district maps. The Councils will also be asked to provide direction on the number of districts to be considered. Further information concerning the agenda for subsequent meetings #3-5, as well as a schedule for the same, will be provided at the next meeting.
Public Notice:
This meeting and the joint public hearing were noticed in accordance with applicable requirements.