Recommendations by the City Attorney
regarding implementation of revised
Council Districts
Sacramento City Council Meeting
April 19, 2022
City of Sacramento Historic Practices for
redistricting
• City council district maps were redrawn by the City Council • City Council adopted final Map
• Newly redrawn council district map went into effect immediately • Constituent services provided in collaborative effort between affected “old” district councilmembers and “new” district councilmembers through the transition period
Recent Changes to Redistricting Process
• 2016 Charter amendment adopted by voters established the Sacramento Independent Redistricting Commission
• Eliminated all City Council involvement in redistricting process • Newly appointed commission was tasked with adopting new council districts to reflect 2020 Census data
• December of 2021 the Redistricting Commission adopted the Final Map • Charter provided that new council district map went into effect immediately • However, transfer of constituent services in affected areas utilized historic
practices
Options for addressing Implementation of
new district boundaries
• California Elections Code does not provide the remedy • This is a matter of Policy
• This problem is a side effect of the intersection of the 10 year redistricting cycle with the City’s 4 year council election system • Two effects to address: Because of the 4 year staggered terms of councilmembers, this shift in district boundaries will affect when voters next have the ability to vote in a regularly scheduled councilmember election, AND, which councilmember provides constituent services during the transition period
1. Voter Acceleration and Deferral
Modeled after California State Senate Rules: One common method used in California to align this intersection is the system of “voter acceleration” and “voter deferral”
• Voter Acceleration: Results when a person who was moved from a council district which recently elected a councilmember into a new district where they will soon be electing a councilmember
• The system accelerates their ability to vote by 2 years; constituent services provided by interim council designee
• Voter Deferral: Results when a person who was moved from a council district where they would soon be electing a councilmember, into a district which is not up for election.
• The system defers their ability to vote by 2 years; constituent services provided by interim council designee
2. Interim Constituent Services
• This is a matter of Policy to be established by the Council • For the affected areas, there are a number of ways to address interim constituent services
• The Mayor, having been elected by all voters citywide, can serve as the steward of Constituent services, and delegate as needed to Vice Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and other councilmembers
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Adopt a formal Council Resolution establishing council redistricting implementation
• Utilize system of voter deferral and voter acceleration for affected areas
• Appoint the Mayor, who was elected citywide, to be the steward of constituent services in these areas, with the ability to delegate work to Vice Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and other members of council as needed
• Refer discussion of possible future charter amendment to Council’s Law and Legislation Committee
CONCLUSION
AND
QUESTIONS?