Santa Cruz City Council Election District Boundaries Hearing

Over the next 12 months, the City intends to transition from at-large elections for its Councilmembers to district-based elections. This transition will involve community input at various stages, including public-participation in determining district boundaries and an election schedule. The City anticipates that Council will consider whether to establish district-based elections and what district maps will look like by March 2022.

1st Meeting: August 31, 2021, 4:30 p.m.
2nd Meeting: September 18, 2021
3rd & 4th Meeting: TBD

The purpose of this public hearing is to inform the public about the districting process and to hear from the community on what factors should be taken into consideration while creating district boundaries.

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 is a neighborhood or group that would benefit from being in the same district because of shared interests, views, or characteristics. Possible community features include, but are not limited to:

A. School attendance areas;
B. Natural dividing lines such as major roads, hills, or highways;
C. Areas around parks and other neighborhood landmarks;
D. Common issues, neighborhood activities, or legislative/election concerns; and
E. Shared demographic characteristics, such as:
(1) Similar levels of income, education, or linguistic insolation;
(2) Languages spoken at home; and
(3) Single-family and multi-family housing unit areas.

The City must ensure compliance with the following state and federally-mandated criteria:

• Each district shall contain a nearly equal population.
• Each district shall be drawn in a manner that complies with the Federal Voting Rights Act.
• Each district shall not be drawn with race as the predominate factor in violation of the principles established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993), and its progeny.

All interested parties are invited to attend the public hearing(s) and express opinions or submit information. If you have any questions, please contact the City Clerk at 809 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 or BBush [at] cityofsantacruz.com.

Information about district elections, why the city is making this change and the process is available on the city website, cityofsantacruz.com/districtelections.