HomeMy Public PortalAbout2021-11-09 SPECIAL Item 1CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA REPORT
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CITY OF MILLBRAE
621 Magnolia Avenue
Millbrae, CA 94030
SUBJECT:
Transition to District-Based Elections
Councilmembers - Public Hearing No. 1
ATTACHMENTS:
NONE
for
Report No.
Agenda Item:
For Agenda of:November 9, 2021
Special Meeting
Department:Administration
Originator:Thomas C. Williams
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Approved:/.Y
Budget Action: D Yes S No Finance 4ew: ^/A
REPORT TYPE: D ACTION S INFORMATIONAL
ITEM TYPE: D CONSENT ^ PUBLIC HEARING D EXISTING BUSINESS D NEW BUSINESS
RECOMMENDATION:
The City Council receive a presentation from City staff and the City's consulting demographer, Redistricting
Partners, regarding the process and criteria for establishing boundaries for district elections of the City
Council, and take public input at this - the first of two required public hearings - regarding: a) the communities
of interest within the City that should define the boundaries and composition of districts before any maps of
any proposed district boundaries are drawn; and (b) whether the City should implement a directly elected
mayor with four districts, or retain a City Council-selected rotational Mayor with five districts.
BACKGROUND:
On October 12, 2021, pursuant to Elections Code section 10010(e)(3)(A), the City Council adopted
Resolution No. 21-70 declaring its intent to transition from an at-large system for election of City
Councilmembers to one based on districts. The resolution also outlined specific steps to facilitate the
transition. For more detail on the history leading to this decision, please see the Question/Answer Sheet
on the City's website created specifically to educate and inform the public on this subject.
Currently, voters across the City vote "at-large" for all five council members. A "by-district" election is
one in which the City is divided into separate districts, each represented by one City Councilmember who
resides in that district and is chosen by the that district's voters. The first by-district City Council election
will occur in the November 2022 general municipal election, and the transition to district-based elections
will be completed in the November 2024 general election.ANALYSIS:
While Elections Code section 10010 provides the City only ninety (90) days after adopting a Resolution
of Intent to complete the transition to district-based elections, the City obtained an extension of time until
March 1, 2022 to complete this transition.
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The City has engaged a demographer - Redistricting Partners - to support the transition effort to district-
based elections. During this process, the City must:
• Hold at least five public hearings to receive public input and to consider draft maps. The November
9 public hearing is the first of two required public hearing for the public to provide input on
communities of interest and the composition of districts, as well as whether the City should
implement a directly elected mayor with four districts or retain a City Council-selected mayor with
five districts. The City will not consider any maps at this public hearing or the next one which has
been scheduled for November 17, 2021.
• After the two required hearings to gather public input, the Council has decided to hold a third
public meeting on December 8, 2021 at 7:00 to ensure that interested members of the public have
had ample opportunity to provide input on the issues related to this important transition. Following
that, the City Council is planning to hold at least three additional hearings starting in January 2022
to consider and select a map with district boundaries based on the public input received regarding
the City's communities of interest and the City Council's direction as to whether the transition will
produce a directly elected mayor with four districts or retain a City Council-selected mayor with five
districts. Redistricting Partners will produce draft maps for consideration by the City Council and
the public before each meeting. Redistricting Partners will present those maps – explaining each
map’s attributes and the differences between or among them. All maps that will be considered at
a hearing will be available to the public at least one week in advance of that hearing.
At this first hearing, the City’s demographer, Redistricting Partners, will make a presentation on the
transition process for preparing district boundaries. The public will then be invited to ask questions about
the process and to provide input on communities of interest in the City. This will allow the demographer
to better understand the jurisdiction and allow the drawing of maps based on sound demographic and legal
principles. The public is also invited to provide input as to whether the City should move to a directly-
elected mayor with four districts or to maintain the current system where the five City Councilmembers
select a mayor. The format for the second hearing on November 17, 2021 is the same.
At the end of the second public hearing or the December 8, 2021 Special City Council Meeting with full
consideration of the input offered by the public, the City Council will provide direction to City staff and
the City’s demographer regarding the criteria to be considered, consistent with the required legal
parameters, to create proposed district maps. The City Council will also be asked to provide direction on
the number of districts to be created, as well as whether the City would like to establish a directly elected
mayor.
The City Council will then host subsequent public hearings for the public to consider the draft maps
created by the City's demographer. In preparation for these hearings, maps created by the City's
demographer will be posted on the City's website and otherwise available at least one week before the
hearings. After taking public comment at these hearings, the City Council will provide further direction
to the City's demographer as to how to change and/or finalize a proposed map. Given the fact that City
Council elections are held on a staggered basis, the City Council will also consider the sequencing of
future elections, that is, which districts will elect councilmembers in November 2022, and which will do
so in November of 2024.
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Final direction on district maps and election sequencing will be sought at a final public hearing and will
be incorporated into an ordinance to be considered by the City Council.
The following is a summary of the proposed public hearing schedule to complete this process:
Proposed Schedule
Date Time Description Purpose
Tues. Nov. 9, 2021 5:30 – 7:00 pm Public Hearing First (1) meeting to solicit
community input
Wed. Nov. 17, 2021 7:00 – 8:30 pm Public Hearing Second (2) meeting to solicit
community input
Wed. Dec. 8, 2021 7:00 – 8:30 pm Special City
Council Meeting
Extra meeting to solicit
community input
Tues. Jan. 11, 2022 6:00 – 7:00 pm Public Hearing Third (3) meeting to review maps
Tues. Jan. 25, 2022 6:00 – 7:00 pm Public Hearing Fourth (4) meeting to review maps
Jan. 26 – Feb. 21,
2022
As needed Special City
Council Meeting
Extra meeting(s) to review maps
Tues. Feb. 22, 2022
(Adoption Deadline
March 1, 2022)
7:00 pm
Regular City
Council Meeting
Public Hearing Fifth (5) & final meeting for
ordinance adoption to establish the
City’s district based elections
District Formation Criteria
In creating the district boundaries, the City must ensure compliance with the following criteria mandated
by the CVRA and the Federal Voting Rights Act:
• Each district must contain a nearly equal population;
• The districting plan must be drawn in a manner that complies with the Federal Voting Rights Act
and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution; and,
• The districts must not be drawn with race as the predominant factor.
Additionally, Election Code section 21601 requires cities to adopt districts using the following criteria to
the extent practicable, which are set forth in order of priority:
• Districts shall be geographically contiguous.
• To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community
of interest must be respected and maintained. 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.
• District boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable. To the extent practicable,
districts shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the
jurisdiction.
• To the extent practicable, and where it does not conflict with the preceding criteria, districts shall
be drawn to encourage geographical compactness.
Public Outreach
In addition to the formal public hearing process, the City is implementing a robust effort to encourage
participation and inclusivity as a part of the districting process. To this end, the City is doing the following:
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• Hosting a webpage dedicated to districting, which includes an explanation of the districting
process, relevant demographic data, the process for getting public input (in all legally required
languages), a calendar of public hearings and/or workshop dates, the notice and agenda for each
hearing/workshop, audio/video records of the hearings/workshops, a copy of the draft map(s)
considered, and a copy of the final adopted map; and,
• Providing the above referenced information to good government, civic engagement, and
community groups that are active in the locality, including those active with minority and non-
English speaking communities.
The City is also providing multiple ways for the public to submit feedback through in-person and online
formats such as interactive map drawing and fillable Communities of Interest forms. Materials are being
provided in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Additional information about this process and opportunities for the public to provide feedback is available
at https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/departments-services/city-clerk/district-elections.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The City Council appropriated $175,000 to underwrite costs associated with undertaking and completing
the transition to District-based elections for councilmembers.
COUNCIL ACTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the informational report on the City’s transition to
district-based elections.