City of Wasco Council Agenda, March 29, 2022
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IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING MARCH 29, 2022 COUNCIL MEETING Given public health concerns related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)and in response to the recent resurgence of coronavirus cases in the County, and the potential community spread of the virus resulting from prolonged indoor gatherings, the City has suspended conducting in-person public meetings in order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Pursuant to Government Code section 54953 and consistent with the provisions of Assembly Bill 361, City Council will be participating in the meeting via teleconference.
T
o Access Meeting Please Read Instruction Below:
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AGENDA
Special City Council Meeting
and Successor Agency to the
Former Redevelopment Agency
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 – 6:00 pm.
Via Zoom Webinar
www.cityofwasco.org
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City of Wasco Council Agenda, March 29, 2022
Submitting written comments:
You can also submit your comments via email to [email protected] such email comments must be identified by adding the Agenda Item Number in the email's subject line. Every effort will be made to read your comment into the record; however, they are limited to two (2) minutes. If a comment is received after the agenda item is heard but before the meeting is adjourned, the comment will still be included as a part of the record of the meeting but will not be read into the record.
American Disability Act Accommodations:
Meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Requests in advance of the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting and its materials. Individuals who need special assistance or a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting or who have a disability and wish to request an alternative format for the meeting materials should contact the City Clerk at [email protected] or call 661-758- 7203. Every attempt will be made to swiftly address each request. (28 CFR 35.102–
35.104 ADA Title II)
SPECIAL MEETING – 6:00 pm
1) CA
LL TO ORDER: Mayor
2) RO
LL CALL: Mayor Reyna, Mayor Pro Tem Pallares, Council Members: Garcia, Lynch, Martinez
3) FLAG SALUTE: Mayor
4) PU
BLIC COMMENTS:
This is a special meeting and only comments or statements concerning the Agenda items listed below are allowed. Public Comments will be taken following the staff presentation and initial questions and comments by Council. Each Public Comment may be restricted to two (2) minutes in length. 5) PU
BLIC HEARING:
a. Introduce and Waive the First Reading of an Ordinance of the City of Wasco Amending Chapter 2.09 (Elections) of the Wasco Municipal Code and replacing the Council District Map. (Hurlbert)
6) CLOSED SESSION: None
7) CL
OSED SESSION ACTIONS: None
8) ADJ
OURNMENT:
Thi
s is to certify that this agenda was posted at Wasco City Hall on March 28, 2022. The agenda is also available on the City website at www.cityofwasco.org _______________
_______________________
Monica Flores, Deputy City Clerk
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City of Wasco Council Agenda, March 29, 2022
All agenda item supporting documentation is available for public review in the city website www.cityofwasco.org and the office of the City Clerk of the City of Wasco, 746 8 th Street, Wasco, CA 93280 during regular business hours, 7:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday and 8 –5 pm Friday (closed alternate Friday 's), following the posting of the agenda. Any supporting documentation related to an agenda item for an open session of any regular meeting that is distributed after the agenda is posted and prior to the meeting will also be available for review at the same location and available at the meeting. Please remember to turn off all cell phones, pagers, or electronic devices during Council meetings.
The City of Wasco does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the access to, provision of, or employment in its programs and activities pursuant to 29 United States Code Section 12132 and California Civil Code Section 54.
Information regarding the rights provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may be obtained from the City Clerk's Office.
I
f you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk 's Office at (661) 758- 7215 to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. Telephone (661) 758-7215 Requests for assistance should be made at least two (2) days in advance whenever possible. 3 of 15
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T
O: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
F
ROM: M . S
cott Hurlbert, City Manager
Tom Schroeter, City Attorney
Maria O. Martinez, City Clerk
D
ATE: March 29, 2022
SUBJECT: Redistricting – Public Hearing No. 3 Introduce and Waive the First Reading of an Ordinance of the City of Wasco Amending Chapter 2.09 (Elections) of the Wasco Municipal Code replacing the Council District Map.
R
ecommendation:
Staff recommends the City Council to:
1. Receive Report from City Manager and FLO Consultant.
2. Conduct a public hearing to receive public input on district boundaries
3. Select a preferred District Map
4. Introduce and waive the first reading by title only, an Ordinance amending Chapter 2.09 (elections) of the Wasco Municipal Code and replacing the Council District Map.
B
ackground:
Pursuant to Election Code section 21601, cities with by- district election systems must redraw their district boundary maps to ensure compliance with the California and Federal Voting Rights Acts. The process to complete the redistricting requires a minimum of four public hearings and dedicated public outreach to ensure minority populations and communities of interest are aware of the redistricting effort an d are provided with options to participate.
Ev
ery ten (10) years, 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, called redistricting, ensures all districts have a nearly equal population. The redistricting process for the City of Wasco must be completed by April 17, 2022.
The City of Wasco adopted its current district boundaries in 2018, 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.
STAFF REPORT
City of Wasco
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Under the Act, the City Council shall draw and adopt boun daries 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
5 Be compact (do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people)
6. Shall not favor or discriminate against a political party By
law, the City must hold at least four public hearings that enable community members to provide input on the drawing of district maps:
• At least one hearing must occur before the city or county draws draft maps • At least two hearings must happen after the drawing of draft maps • T
he fourth hearing can happen either before or after the drawing of draft maps • C
ity staff may hold a public workshop instead of one of the required public redistricting hearings
T
o increase the accessibility of these hearings, cities, and counties must take the following steps:
• At least one hearing must occur on a Saturday, Sunday, or after 6:00 p.m. on a w
eekday
• I
f a redistricting hearing is consolidated with another local government meeting, the redistricting hearing must begin at a pre-designated time • Local public redistricting hearings must be made accessible to people with disabilities
A
n Analysis of the City’s current district boundaries, adjusted for the 2020 Census data, shows the districts are no longer population-balanced. The total population is 22,795. 5 of 15
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 the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on equal protection.
T
he purpose of this public hearing is to review draft maps and to inform and to hear from the community on factors that must be taken into consideration for district boundaries .
The public is requested to provide input regarding communities of interest and other local factors that should be considered for district maps.
D
uring the first public hearing on March 1, 2022, t he consultant introduced the online mapping tool for the public to submit their own draft maps by March 17, 2022, which were analyzed for population balance and other required criteria as outlined below.
O
n the second public hearing on March 22, 2022, the consultant presented fi ve draft maps and informed the Council that a sixth draft map was submitted after the deadline.
The consultant asked the Council for their consideration of accepting the submittal due to its low deviation of population per district. The City Council accepted the presentation of all six (6) draft maps and selected three (3) final draft maps, numbers 4, 5, and 6 to be presented at the third public hearing.
D
iscussion:
At tonight’s hearing, the City’s redistricting consultant will present draft maps number 4, 5, and 6 selected by the City Council with accompanying summary statistics for the City Council’s consideration and input.
F
ollowing the staff’s presentation and the public hearing, the City Council should consider selecting a preferred distric t map for consideration of adoption at the fourth public hearing on April 5, 2022, to ensure that the adopted final district map is submitted before the deadline of April 17, 2022, to the Kern County Election Office.
F
iscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action. No budget action is required.
A
ttachments:
1. Draft Maps 4, 5, and 6
2. District Process Timeline
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DRAFT MAP #4
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Redistricting Analysis
2019 Citizen Voting Age Population Percentage
➢ Section 2 of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 protects against
vote dilution based on race
and ethnicity
➢ State of CA Fair Maps Act (Bill
No. 849) states that each draft
map shall be accompanied by
information on total population,
citizen voting age population
(CVAP), and CVAP racial and
ethnic characteristics of each
proposed council district.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://wasco-redistricting-engagement-portal-maulfoster.hub.arcgis.com/ 8 of 15
DRAFT MAP #5
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Redistricting Analysis
2019 Citizen Voting Age Population Percentage
➢ Section 2 of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 protects against
vote dilution based on race
and ethnicity
➢ State of CA Fair Maps Act (Bill
No. 849) states that each draft
map shall be accompanied by
information on total population,
citizen voting age population
(CVAP), and CVAP racial and
ethnic characteristics of each
proposed council district.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://wasco-redistricting-engagement-portal-maulfoster.hub.arcgis.com/ 10 of 15
DRAFT MAP #6
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Redistricting Analysis
2019 Citizen Voting Age Population Percentage
➢ Section 2 of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 protects against
vote dilution based on race
and ethnicity
➢ State of CA Fair Maps Act (Bill
No. 849) states that each draft
map shall be accompanied by
information on total population,
citizen voting age population
(CVAP), and CVAP racial and
ethnic characteristics of each
proposed council district.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://wasco-redistricting-engagement-portal-maulfoster.hub.arcgis.com/ 12 of 15
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ORDINANCE NO.2022- ______
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WASCO
AMENDING CHAPTER 2.09 (ELECTIONS) OF THE WASCO MUNICIPAL
CODE AND REPLACING THE COUNCIL DISTRICT MAP
WHEREAS, On January 2, 2018, the City Council of Wasco (“City”) adopted Ordinance No. 2018 -692, changing the City from at large to by -district voting system, adopting boundaries for the City’s five voting districts, and establishing an implementation schedule for c onversion to by- district voting during the 2018 and 2020 election cycles: and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Elections Code section 21601(a), the City is required to review its voting district boundaries following each decennial federal census; and WHEREAS, in 2019, the Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions (“FAIR MAPS”) Act (AB 849) amended the process and criteria by which the City must evaluate and adjust its voting district boundaries; and WHEREAS, at the regular City Council meeting held on March 1, 2022, and at the special City Council meeting on March 22, 2022, the City Council held public hearings to receive public input regarding communities of interest and the composition of districts; and
WHEREAS, at the special City Council meeting held on March 29, 2022, the City Council held a public hearing to receive public input regarding the composition of one or more council districts and, as described in this Ordinance, selection of the Draft Map to be the Council District Map as that term is used in the Wasco Municipal Code section
2.09.010, which Ordinance was thereafter introduced for a first reading at the same special meeting of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, on March 30, 2022, the map attached hereto as Exhibit “A” accompanied by information on the total population, citizen voting -age population, and racial and ethnic characteristics of the citizen voting -age population of each council district depicted, was p osted as a draft map (“Draft Map”) on the City’s redistricting website; and
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WASCO DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by this reference.
Section 2. The Council District Map referenced in Section 2.09.010 is hereby approved and is attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by this reference. The Council District Map shall be kept on file in the Office of the City Clerk.
Section 3. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately after its adoption pursuant to Government Code Section 36937(a).
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Section 4. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Ordinance or Chapter 2.09 is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining portions of this Ordinance shall nonetheless remain in full force and effect. The City Council of the City of Wasco hereby declares that it would have adopted each section, subsection, se ntence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Ordinance, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions of this Ordinance be declared invalid or unenforceable.
Section 5. The City Clerk of the City of Wasco shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause the same to be published or posted in the manner required by law.
Section 6. This ordinance is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (C EQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines and is not a project which has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
INTRODUCED at a special meeting of the City Council of the City of Wasco on the 29th day of March 2022.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular m eeting of the City Council of the City of Wasco this ____ day of ______________, 2022.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Ordinance No. 2022 - ___ was passed and adopted by the Council of the City of Wasco at a regular meeting thereof held on , 2022, by the following vote:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
__________________________
GILBERTO REYNA,
MAYOR of the City of Wasco
Attest:
__________________________________
MARIA O. MARTINEZ
CITY CLERK
and Ex Officio Clerk of
the Council of the City of Wasco
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