Public Hearing No. 4 Regarding the Transition from At-Large to By-District Elections

On September 17, 2019, the City Council adopted Resolution 2019-218 intending to transition from at-large to district-based elections. Pursuant to Elections Code Section 10010, four public hearings are required to receive public comments on the transition process. Tonight's hearing is the fourth and final public hearing for the City Council to receive public comments and input regarding the City’s transition from at-large to by-district elections for the members of the City Council, the time frame for this transition, the composition of potential Council election district boundaries, and other matters related to the election of members of the City Council.

Over the last several years, cities, school districts and community college districts throughout the state of California have been transitioning from at-large to by-district elections to comply with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) and / or to avoid litigation. On September 17, 2019, the City Council authorized the transition of the city's election system from at-large to by-district.

The transition process is set forth in Elections Code 10010. District boundary maps are drawn by a professional demographer in consultation with the City Attorney based on the criteria in the law and public input. Community input is important to the districting process and all residents are encouraged to attend hearings, provide public input and submit draft maps. The hearings are publicly noticed and information about the districting process is also provided on the City's website. Two public hearings are required prior to the maps being drawn and two public hearings are required after the maps and sequencing are published for the specified time period. The tentative schedule for the public hearings is as follows:

At the first and second public hearings, the professional demographer, National Demographics Corporation (NDC) gave an overview of the CVRA, the mapping process and the overall transition to district elections. The public also had an opportunity to provide feedback on the election sequence and how district boundaries should be drawn.

Two additional community meetings were held on October 16, 2019 and November 9, 2019. This allowed for additional public input and the opportunity for community members to draw and submit their own maps. To date, the City of Fairfield has received a total of three draft maps from the public, as well as two draft maps from NDC.

At the third public hearing held on December 17, 2019, the City Council carried a motion to eliminate maps 101 and 102, and requested that the remaining maps 103, 104, and 106 be brought back for further discussion. The remaining maps are attached to this report.

Amber Alexander, Interim Deputy City Clerk

707-428-7402

aalexander@fairfield.ca.gov