Item 22 - Redistricting Ward Boundaries

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Revised Resolution of Intention and First Public Hearing: Redistricting Ward Boundaries October 19, 2021 Page 2 Assembly Bill 849 — The Fair Maps Act The Fair Maps Act, effective January 1, 2020, creates a standardized redistricting criteria aimed to keep communities together and to prohibit partisan gerrymandering. It also contains expanded community outreach and public hearing requirements and timelines. In the re -drawing of ward boundaries, the City Council must ensure compliance with state and federally mandated criteria by adopting boundaries that contain a nearly equal population, based upon total population of residents of the City as determined by the most recent census, adjusted by California to count state prisoners at their "last known home address" rather than at the prison. The City Council must also adopt maps that comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Wards must not be adopted for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party, and are not designed with race as the predominate factor. Additionally, the Fair Maps Act now requires the City Council to adopt ward boundaries using specific criteria as set forth in the following order of priority: 1. To the extent practicable, City Council wards shall be geographically contiguous. areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous. Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge are not contiguous. 2. To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division. A "community of interest" 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. Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates. 3. City Council ward boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents. To the extent practicable, City Council wards shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the city. 4. To the extent practicable, and where it does not conflict with the preceding criteria in this subdivision, City Council wards shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations. Procedural Requirements for Redistricting State law authorizes the City Council to draw its own map. This can include a process of draft map submissions from the public and demographer for City Council review and consideration. In addition, the Fair Maps Act provides specific procedural requirements the City Council must meet before adopting a final map of ward boundaries for the redistricting process. The City must hold at least four public hearings that enable community members to provide input regarding the composition of the City Council wards. These hearings shall consist of: • At least one public hearing before the City Council draws draft map(s). • At least two public hearings after the City Council has drawn draft map(s).