To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Tiffany Carranza, City Clerk
Prepared By: Caitlin Saldanha, Management Analyst II
TITLE:
Title
2021-2022 Redistricting Process - 3rd Public Hearing with Proposed District Boundary Map
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
(1) After receiving a presentation from the City’s consulting demographer regarding the 2021-2022 redistricting process for district-based elections of members of City Council, including presentation of a draft map of district boundaries, invite public input regarding the composition of district boundaries.
(2) Provide direction to City staff regarding the composition of district boundaries.
Body
DISCUSSION:
Background
Each city with district-based elections is required to update (“redistrict”) the district boundaries every ten years, following the receipt of updated population data from each federal decennial census. Since the City of Napa has district-based elections for four Councilmembers, the City is required to redistrict the district boundaries prior to the next election of Councilmembers in 2022. Councilmember Districts 2 and 4 were on the ballot on November 3, 2020, and Councilmember Districts 1 and 3 will be on the ballot on November 8, 2022. Although the City recently established the district boundaries on May 5, 2020 for the November 2020 election, the boundaries are based on the 2010 federal census, which means the City must now update the boundaries through the redistricting process based on the 2020 federal census.
On October 26, 2021, the City Council held its first Public Hearing without maps to receive input from the public regarding district boundaries for Councilmembers. At the October 26, 2021 City Council meeting, City staff provided a presentation outlining the City’s community outreach plan for the redistricting process, and the City’s consulting demographer, Redistricting Partners, provided a presentation on the overall population changes within the City according to the 2020 federal census data, an overview of the legal requirements under the FAIR MAPS Act that must be considered when drawing district boundaries, and showcased the online mapping tool, DistrictR.
On Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the evening, City staff held the first Community Workshop at Napa Valley College. This first Community Workshop was intended to allow the City’s demographer to provide information and guidance to members of the public regarding the parameters for drawing district boundary maps and give the public the opportunity to prepare and submit proposed maps for City Council’s consideration. Unfortunately, this initial Community Workshop was only attended by City staff, consultants, and County officials, and no draft map submissions were received from the public.
On Tuesday, December 14, 2021, the City Council held its second Public Hearing for the 2021-2022 redistricting process, which also marked the first public hearing with a draft district boundary map for consideration. During this public hearing, Redistricting Partners proposed one draft district boundary map, which reflected the current district lines adopted by Council on May 5, 2020, since no draft map submissions were received from the public prior to publication of the meeting agenda. However, as a part of the presentation on December 14, 2021, Redistricting Partners shared two draft map submissions received from the public after the publication of the meeting agenda (received on December 12, 2021, for ID 92819 and ID 92917) for input from the Council and community members.
On Thursday, January 6, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., City staff held the second Community Workshop virtually via Zoom where the City’s demographer provided information and guidance to members of the public regarding the parameters for drawing district boundary maps, and the public was provided an opportunity to prepare and submit proposed maps for City Council’s consideration. This virtual Community Workshop was attended by members of the public via Zoom and included a live demonstration of the online mapping tool, DistrictR, from the City’s demographer.
In an abundance of caution, and in light of the increased spread of COVID-19, the City cancelled the two in-person Community Workshops that were originally on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at Harvest Middle School Library and Las Flores Community Center Gym. Additionally, the two in-person Community Workshops scheduled for Sunday January 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. will be held virtually via Zoom.
Following the cancellation of the two in-person Community Workshops on January 15, 2022, City staff has continued to strongly encouraging the public to participate remotely in the redistricting process through a wide variety of methods, such as watching the English/Spanish recording of the January 6, 2022 Virtual Community Workshop which are both posted online at <https://www.cityofnapa.org/1015/Resources>. Additionally, the City has been heavily promoting the online mapping tool, DistrictR, for members of the public to draw and submit their own draft maps, requesting community members to fill out an electronic Community of Interest Worksheet via the City’s website, and asking the public to submit comments to redistricting@cityofnapa.org <mailto:redistricting@cityofnapa.org>.
At the time of the publication of this staff report on January 20, 2022, the City has received a total of four (4) proposed district boundary maps from the public, which were submitted online via DistrictR. All draft map submissions have been posted on the City’s website, entered into the public record, and are included as Attachment 2 to this staff report.
Proposed District Boundary Maps for Consideration - Draft Plan A
The City’s demographer has considered all of the public input received thus far, including draft district boundary maps submitted by community members and Community of Interest Worksheets completed by the public, along with the most recent 2020 census population data.
Redistricting Partners has prepared a draft district boundary map for consideration by City Council at the public hearing on January 25, 2022. This draft map (which is identified as Draft Plan A) was posted on the City’s webpage at <https://www.cityofnapa.org/1013/Draft-Maps> on January 17, 2022. Draft Plan A has also been attached to this staff report for reference.
At this point in the process, Redistricting Partners has proposed one draft district boundary map (Draft Plan A) for consideration at the January 25, 2022 public hearing. Draft Plan A reflects the current district lines adopted on May 5, 2020 which meets the legal requirements under the FAIR MAPS Act (California Elections Code Section 21620 - 21623). Draft Plan A is the same draft district boundary map proposed by Redistricting Partners at the December 14, 2021 public hearing (which was also posted on the City’s website on December 6, 2021).
During the public hearing on December 14, 2021, public testimony was received addressing the unincorporated island known as the “West Pueblo/Linda Vista island” (which is outside the City limits, surrounded by the City, and planned for future annexation to the City), suggesting that the lines be drawn so that some or all of the unincorporated island may be added to District 4 upon annexation to the City. Council also received written testimony showing support for the current district lines under Draft Plan A. There were no suggested changes or recommendations received from the Council regarding Draft Plan A at this public hearing.
During the public hearing on January 25, 2022, City staff and the City’s consulting demographer will provide a presentation, and members of the public will have an opportunity to provide input regarding the draft district boundary map (identified as Draft Plan A) and give feedback to the demographer on how to draw additional draft maps for future consideration during the remainder of the process. The City Council will also have an opportunity to provide direction to the demographer and City staff regarding the boundaries of districts.
Staff is requesting the City Council to provide direction on the draft district boundary map in order for the City’s consulting demographer to create additional draft district boundary maps for consideration at upcoming Public Hearings and make any adjustments before adopting an ordinance establishing a final map to be used for the 2022 General Municipal Election.
The introduction of the ordinance is scheduled to take place during the fourth public hearing on February 8, 2022, and the final reading of the ordinance is scheduled to take place during the fifth public hearing on March 8, 2022. These dates were carefully selected to ensure that the City completes the redistricting process before the official deadline, and a new district boundary map is adopted by the City Council no later than April 17, 2022.
The City Council has discretion to select a district boundary map that complies with the legal criteria and order of priority established by California Elections Code Section 21621, as identified below:
• Substantially equal population of residents in each district (10% or less of overall deviation) based on census data.
• Compliance with the Constitutions of the United States and California, and with the Federal Voting Rights Act (“FVRA”). These criteria are satisfied by developing districts that have substantially equal populations, are not designed with discriminatory intent, do not result in discriminatory effects, and are not designed with race as the predominant consideration.
• Geographically contiguous, to the extent practicable. A district is not contiguous if it includes areas that: (a) meet only at the point of adjoining corners, or (b) are separated by water and not connected by a bridge.
• Geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division, to the extent practicable. 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.
• Boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents. To the extent practicable, districts shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the City.
• Districts shall be geographically compact in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations, to the extent practicable.
Additionally, as a point of emphasis, district boundaries must not be adopted for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party.
Remainder of Community Outreach Schedule and Redistricting Process
City staff has already conducted several educational kick-off events to increase public interest in the redistricting process, such as Farmers Market Pop-Up Events and a joint virtual workshop hosted by Napa County in collaboration with other governmental agencies participating in the same process. The City will continue to encourage public participation through the robust community outreach plan summarized in this report, and take advantage of opportunities to spread the word at local gatherings and events. It is also important to note that City staff has held and will continue to hold more than the legally required amount of Community Workshops because City staff believes an increased number of Community Workshops will facilitate better engagement and a higher level of participation.
The remainder of the community outreach schedule and redistricting process is as follows:
REMAINING COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS:
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Sunday, January 30, 2022 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. VIRTUAL - Zoom Link Coming Soon! Sunday, January 30, 2022 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. VIRTUAL - Zoom Link Coming Soon! |
Virtual Community Workshops where Demographer will provide a brief presentation to the public and solicit input from the public regarding proposed district boundaries Following the virtual presentation, members of the public are invited to draw their own maps using the online mapping tool, DistrictR |
REMAINING PUBLIC HEARINGS:
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Tuesday, February 8, 2022 6:30 p.m. VIRTUAL - Link Coming Soon! |
4th Public Hearing with revised map(s) of proposed district boundaries produced by the demographer and published seven days in advance; consideration of public input regarding the revised map(s), and introduction an ordinance establishing new district boundaries for Councilmembers. |
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Tuesday, March 8, 2022 6:30 p.m. City Hall - Council Chamber 955 School Street |
5th Public Hearing to adopt an ordinance with a final map establishing new district boundaries for Councilmembers before the April 17, 2022 deadline. |
Next Steps
After completion of the third public hearing on January 25, 2022, City staff will continue their ongoing community outreach efforts and heavily promote the City’s online mapping tool for the public to draw their own proposed maps. City staff will also be hosting two more Community Workshops on Sunday, January 30, 2022 in order to encourage public participation.
Following the two Community Workshops held on January 30, 2022 (morning and afternoon sessions on the same date), Redistricting Partners will propose draft versions of district boundary maps for both the public and Council to review and provide input on at the fourth public hearing on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. The City will publish draft maps of proposed district boundaries produced by our demographer for consideration by the public and City Council at least seven days in advance of each public hearing. The draft maps will be published on the City’s Draft Maps webpage which is available on the City’s website using this link: <https://www.cityofnapa.org/1013/Draft-Maps>.
Following the first reading of an ordinance at the fourth public hearing on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, the City Council will be asked to adopt a final map at the fifth public hearing on March 8, 2022. This final map will establish new district boundaries for Councilmembers, which will go into effect for the November 8, 2022 General Municipal Election.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
For the 2021-2022 redistricting process, funding has already been appropriately budgeted within both the City Clerk’s Office and City Attorney’s Office for consulting services from community outreach advisors, a demographic firm, and legal counsel.
CEQA:
The City Clerk has determined that the recommended action described in this agenda report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Plan A Draft Map (Posted on January 17, 2022)
ATCH 2 - Draft Map Submissions from the Public (Total of 4)
ATCH 3 - Completed Community of Interest Worksheets (Total of 3)
NOTIFICATION:
A public hearing notice was published in the Napa Valley Register on Friday, January 14, 2022.