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Report regarding a fifth public hearing to receive a report from the city’s demographer, National Demographic Corporation (NDC) on the redistricting process to consider adoption and introduction of an ordinance for a voting district map for the City of South San Francisco. (Rosa Govea Acosta, City Clerk and Kristen Parks, National Demographics Corporation)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council: (1) conduct a fifth public hearing to receive public input on district boundaries (2) receive a presentation from the City’s demographer, National Demographic Corporation, on the current map and publicly submitted map considered for adoption; and (3) select either the City’s current District Map 109, or the publicly submitted District Map 102a, and introduce an ordinance adopting a District Map of the voting district boundaries.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
Every ten 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 nearly equal population. The redistricting process for the City of South San Francisco must be completed by April 17, 2022.
The city adopted its current district boundaries on July 11, 2018, based on 2010 census data as required by law. Once the data is evaluated, and if found to be imbalanced, the city must redraw districts in compliance with the FAIR MAPS Act adopted by the California legislature as AB 849 and took effect January 1, 2020.
On April 22, 2021, the city entered into an agreement with National Demographics Corporation (NDC) to guide and support the City Council through the redistricting process. NDC presented the information to Council on June 9, 2021, and on June 23, 2021, the City Council chose to continue the redistricting process without a commission. The City Council held the first public hearing on July 14, 2021. On October 13, 2021, NDC presented the 2020 final Census Data for the City of South San Francisco.
On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, a Community Redistricting Workshop and second public hearing, was held at the Municipal Services Building, 33 Arroyo Drive and via Zoom to provide the public with an opportunity to participate, provide input, and learn how to use the mapping tools. At the workshop the City’s demographer consultant, NDC, provided a demonstration on the use of the mapping tool and allowed participants to provide feedback regarding current district boundaries. The map submission deadline was Tuesday, January 18, 2022. The third public hearing was held on January 26, 2022, to receive community input regarding district boundaries.
At the February 23, 2022, fourth public hearing, the City Council received a presentation from NDC regarding the federal and state criteria for redistricting, including a review of the city's current district map (Map 109), determined to be population balanced. In addition, NDC reviewed Map 102 submitted by a member of the public for the City Council to consider, however after further discussion, the Council provided feedback and requested that NDC revise Map 102 and solicit public input.
As a result, NDC provided revised Map 102a. The city's current Map 109 and Map 102a were published on the city's website on Monday, February 28, 2022, for community input. The City Council will now consider selection of a map for adoption, either the current district map (Map 109) without any changes or the publicly submitted map (Map 102a). The district map selected by the City Council will be in effect for the November 2022 election.
Under the Act, the council must draw and adopt boundaries using the following criteria in the listed order of priority (Elec. Code §21601) for general law cities:
1. Comply with federal requirements of equal population and the Voting Rights Act.
2. Geographically contiguous.
3. Undivided neighborhoods and “communities of interest”.
4. Easily identifiable boundaries.
5. 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, at an affixed time, to inform the public about the process and solicit community member input before adopting a final map:
• At least one public hearing before Council draws a map;
• At least two public hearings must happen after Council draws a map;
• At least one hearing, or workshop/community meeting, must be held on a Saturday or Sunday.
The public is requested to provide input regarding communities of interest and other local factors that should be considered while drafting district maps. A community of interest under the relevant Elections Code for cities (Section 21601(c), 21621(c)) is a “population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.” Possible features defining community of interest might include, but are not limited to:
• School attendance areas;
• Natural dividing lines such as major roads, hills, or highways;
• Areas around parks and other neighborhood landmarks;
• Common issues, neighborhood activities, or legislative/election concerns; and
• Shared demographic characteristics, such as:
-Similar levels of income, education, or linguistic isolation;
-Languages spoken at home; and
-Single-family and multi-family housing unit areas.
PROPOSED REDISTRICTING SCHEDULE
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Date |
Details |
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March 9, 2022 |
5th Public Hearing to discuss and select District map |
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March 23, 2022 |
Second Reading of Ordinance Adopting District Map |
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November 8, 2022 |
Conduct District Election for Districts 1, 3, and 5 |
Community members that require translation services, including American Sign Language, may solicit these services in advance (72-hours) to the City Clerk's office.
MAPPING TOOLS
Draft maps were due on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. A total of four maps were submitted for Council’s consideration and posted to the city’s Redistricting website for public viewing.
NEXT STEPS
The City Council will conduct the second reading of the ordinance adopting district map on
March 23, 2022.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
The City’s Redistricting efforts will promote community participation and strengthen collaboration with County partners by contributing to the City’s Strategic Plan Priority
No. 6 - Community Connections.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with holding this public hearing.
CONCLUSION
It is recommended that the City Council: (1) conduct a fifth public hearing to receive public input on district boundaries (2) receive a presentation from the City’s demographer, National Demographic Corporation, on the current map and publicly submitted map considered for adoption; and (3) select either the City’s current District Map 109, or the publicly submitted District Map 102a, and introduce an ordinance adopting a District Map of the voting district boundaries.
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Current District Map 109
Attachment 2: Public Map 102a