Title
Discussion Regarding Process and Timeline for City Council Redistricting
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The 2020 federal census data used to redraw legislative voting districts for San Leandro was released in August 2021. The population growth reflected in the census data requires that the City Council undertake redistricting of its district boundaries. This report provides a suggested process and timeline for redistricting.
Staff recommends that the City Council Rules Committee review, discuss the information provided, and recommend the process and timeline for redistricting, as well as criteria for staff to use to develop redistricting proposals for the Council’s consideration.
BACKGROUND
Section 230 of the Charter of the City of San Leandro requires district boundaries to be drawn whenever the results of the federal census show an increase of five percent (5%) or more since the last redistricting. The City Council last approved new Council district boundaries in 2011, following the 2010 federal census. The 2020 census data, released in August 2021, reveals population growth of 7.13% Citywide, triggering the Charter requirement for the Council’s review of its district boundaries.
DISCUSSION
A comparison of the 2010 and 2020 census population figures by Council district is attached. According to the 2020 census, the Citywide population is 91,008; making the target, or average, district population 15,168 for each of the six Council districts. The attached chart shows the Council district with the lowest population at 5.92% below the target, and the district with the highest population at 3.26% above the target, while three of the other four districts are all within 2%. District 6 is 2.72% above the target.
If the Committee desires bringing the population of the Council districts closer to the target, criteria should be recommended for staff’s use in developing redistricting proposals for consideration by the full City Council. Staff suggests developing up to three redistricting proposals, based on the approved criteria.
Criteria for Drawing District Boundaries
In determining the criteria to be used for drawing Council district boundaries, the Committee should consider first and foremost San Leandro City Charter Section 230.
“The boundaries of Council Member districts shall be the boundaries existing upon the effective date of this Charter, until changed by ordinance of the Council. Within one year after publication of the results of each federal census, and within one year after a determination that the population of the City has changed by five percent or more since the most recent division of the City into districts, the Council by ordinance shall divide the City into six districts numbered one through six. Each district shall consist of geographically compact contiguous territory and shall contain, as nearly as possible, equal numbers of residents. District boundaries shall approximate election precinct boundaries established by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Alameda. No change in district boundaries shall operate to disqualify an incumbent from office before the expiration of the term for which such person was elected or appointed.
2012 Redistricting Criteria
The City last adjusted its Council district boundaries in 2011, following the release of the 2010 federal census data. On June 23, 2011, the City Council Rules & Communications Committee reviewed criteria for setting of the Council district boundaries, and recommended the following criteria for drawing new districts:
- Population of districts as equal as possible within a 5% variance between districts
- Respect neighborhood boundaries;
- Respect school district boundaries;
- Use natural and man-made boundaries as borders;
- Keep new districts as similar to old districts as possible;
- Consider the historic configuration of the neighborhoods.
- Consider the topography, geography, cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity, and compactness of territory; and
- Consider communities of interest of the districts.
The City Council cannot consider Cal. Elections Code section 21621(c) criteria, because pursuant to California Elections Code section 21621(e):
Subdivision (c) does not apply to a charter city that has adopted comprehensive or exclusive redistricting criteria in its city charter. For purposes of this subdivision, “comprehensive or exclusive” means either that the city’s charter excludes consideration of redistricting criteria other than those that are identified in the city charter or that the city’s charter provides two or more traditional criteria for redistricting other than the requirement that districts be equal in population.
San Leandro Charter Section 230 provides two traditional criteria for redistricting other than the requirement that districts be equal in population: Each district must consist of geographically compact contiguous territory and District boundaries shall approximate election precinct boundaries established by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Alameda.
Proposed Process and Timeline
|
DATE |
ACTION |
|
August 2021 |
City received Census 2020 redistricting data |
|
January 26, 2022 |
City Council Rules Committee • review redistricting information • make recommendations re: redistricting criteria, process and timeline • discuss community outreach/noticing plan |
|
February 7, 2022 |
City Council meeting Council discusses approves redistricting timeline criteria and outreach and Draft District Maps presented for review and input |
|
February 8, 2022 February 12, 2022 February 15, 2022 |
Workshop Meetings to receive input on Draft District Maps |
|
February 23 2022 |
City Council Rules Committee • review the draft district maps • recommended the Council schedule review and discussion of the draft district maps, and indicate map preference. |
|
March 21, 2022 |
City Council Public Hearing on final redistricting plan (ordinance passed to print) |
|
April 4, 2022 |
City Council adopts final redistricting plan |
|
April 5 ,2022 |
City submits final redistricting plan to Alameda County ROV |
|
November 8, 2022 |
City Council elections |
The new Council district boundaries will be used for the City’s November 2022 General Municipal Election. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters has set a deadline of April 15, 2022 for submission of the City’s new district boundary data.
Staff requests the City Council Rules Committee discuss future agenda items as outlined in the attached document.
Attachments
• CA Elections Code §21621 and San Leandro City Charter, Section 230: DISTRICTS
• Census Population Differences: 2010 and 2020
• Map-Census 2010-2020 population changes
• Map-Homeowners/Neighborhood Associations
PREPARED BY: Leticia I. Miguel, City Clerk