75C - PH WARD BOUNDARIES #1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Public Hearing: Ward Re -Boundary September 4, 2018 Page 3 What is Re -boundary and why do it? Re -boundary is the redrawing or adjusting of Ward lines to ensure that legislative representation is fair and balanced. It is done every ten years, after the census data is compiled, to account for population shifts and growth over the last decade. The purpose is to bring Wards back into compliance with equal population representation. The number of Wards in the City are to remain the same. Re -boundary Standards When deciding upon a proposed map, the City Council must keep in mind certain standards in order to comply with the law, Exhibit 4. The following are mandatory for any proposed map: • The Wards must be as nearly equal in population as may be (Elections Code § 2 1601). Exact equality of population is not required for the Wards, but they should strive to create Wards that have a total population deviation of no more than 10% between their, most heavily populated Ward and the least populated Wards. Gaffney v. Cummings, 412 U.S. 772 (1973). • Current Councilmembers shall not lose their current seat or allow a term limit reset for members that have served three consecutive terms of four -years each. • The City Council may also rely upon the following "traditional' re -boundary factors when deciding upon a map: • Cohesiveness, continuity, integrity, and compactness of territory (Elections Code § 21601) • Community of interest (Elections Code § 21601) • Finally, the following are additional criteria which are also acceptable to consider: • Traditional boundaries • Preservation of core of prior Wards • Race may be a factor considered in establishing the districts, but it may not be the predominant motivating factor in creating the districts. Miller v. Johnson, 515 U. S. 900, 916 (1995). Race is a predominant factor if the legislature "subordinate[s]" other factors—compactness, respect for political subdivisions, partisan advantage, what have you—to "racial considerations." Id. Santa Ana, like most communities have taken a phased approach to implementing Ward -based elections. 75C-3