City Council Agenda Report
TO: Mayor McCord and Members of the City Council
FROM: Ken Irwin, City Manager
BY: Nubia Goldstein, City Attorney
MEETING DATE: March 22, 2022
ITEM NO: 5.1
SUBJECT: Fourth Public Hearing Regarding Redistricting
RECOMMENDATION
1. Hold a public hearing to receive public input on redrawing City Council district boundaries in response to data received in the 2020 census.
2. Waive reading, read by title only, and introduce for first reading an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Patterson, adopting boundaries of City Council districts.
BACKGROUND
On May 3, 2016, the Patterson City Council adopted Ordinance No. 795, which established a bydistrict election process in four (4) City Council districts, with the Mayor being voted at large.
The City of Patterson (the “City”) is required under Elections Code section 21601, subdivision (a), to complete a redistricting process to reapportion its population between the four (4) City Council districts following each federal decennial census.
Each City Council district must comply with the Fair Maps Act (“Act”). Under the Act, the City Council must draw and adopt City Council district boundaries so that each City Council district shall be substantially equal in population as required by the United States Constitution. City Council districts must be drawn using the following criteria in the listed order of priority:
1) Geographically contiguous (each City Council district should share a common border with the next City Council district).
2) Minimize divisions of neighborhoods and “communities of interest” (socio-economic geographic areas that should be kept together).
3) Easily identifiable boundaries.
4) Compact (do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people).
City Council districts must comply with the United States Constitution, California Constitution, and the federal Voting Rights Act. Further, City Council districts cannot favor or discriminate against a political party.
Once the prioritized criteria are met, other traditional districting principles can be considered, such as:
· Respect voters’ choices/continuity in office;
· Use current City Council districts as a basis; and
· Future population growth.
Timeline
The redistricting deadline is April 17, 2022. During the redistricting process, the City Council must hold at least four (4) public hearings. At least:
· One (1) public hearing must be before publication of the draft maps; · Two (2) public hearings after publication of the draft maps; and · One (1) public hearing must be held on a Saturday or Sunday or after 6:00 p.m. on a weekday.
ANALYSIS
The City Council conducted three (3) public hearings to receive public input regarding City Council district boundaries on: November 8, 2021, December 6, 2021, and February 1, 2022.
The City Council is conducting this fourth public hearing to allow the City Council and the public to review and comment on draft maps.
The City’s redistricting consultant, NDC, has prepared draft maps which are posted on the City’s website dedicated to the redistricting process at: <https://redistrictpatterson.org/> and available at City Hall. Proposed maps from the public have also been posted to the website. These draft maps, and possible new or revised maps, will be considered by the City Council at this public hearing.
At this public hearing, the City Council will begin the process of adopting the final map. The City Council will choose a map as the final map of City Council district boundaries. The ordinance, which the City Council will introduce at this public hearing, will incorporate by reference the City Council’s chosen map of City Council district boundaries (the “Ordinance”).
At the April 5, 2022 public hearing, the City Council will adopt the Ordinance to finalize the selection of City Council district boundaries. Once the City Council adopts the Ordinance, the chosen map will constitute district boundaries for use at the City’s November 2022 election and subsequent elections until further re-alignment occurs pursuant to State law and the Patterson Municipal Code.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for the redistricting process have been approved.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A public hearing on the redistricting and the Ordinance does not constitute a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act. (Pub. Resources Code, § 21065.)
ATTACHMENTS
Ordinance No. 860