HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.2 Dublin Districts - Public Hearing 2- Program Update and Comunity Feedback OpportunitySTAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
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Agenda Item 6.2
DATE:May 17, 2022
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:Linda Smith, City Manager
SUBJECT:Dublin Districts—Public Hearing 2: Program Update and Community Feedback OpportunityPreparedby:John Stefanski,Assistant to the City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:The City Council will hold a public hearing to give the community an opportunity to provide input regarding potential boundaries and district composition. At the February 15, 2022, meeting, the City Council adopted a Resolution Declaring its Intention to Transition From an At-Large Election System to a District-Based Election System. Pursuant to Elections Code section 10010, the City is required to hold at least two public hearings over a period of no more than 30 days before any map or maps of the boundaries for the proposed voting districts are drawn.Representatives from National Demographics Corporation will provide a brief presentation prior to the public hearing to detail the map drawing and community outreach process.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:Receive the presentation, open the public hearing, receive public comment, and close the public hearing.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:The cost of the City’s consultant team of Tripepi Smith and National Demographics Corporation (NDC)includes approximately $59,000 in project management, community outreach,and translation fees, and $50,000 in Demographer Fees.Staff has also budgeted a contingency for translation services (Mandarin and Punjabi)or additional community meetings, should they be necessary, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $125,000. Additionally, the City may be required to reimburse a prospective plaintiff for its documented attorney’s fees and costs, up to $30,000 (plus an annual adjustment for inflation).
DESCRIPTION:
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BackgroundOn February 15, 2022, the City Council adopted Resolution 17-22 Declaring its Intention to Transition from an At-Large Election System to a District-Based Election System in conformance with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA). The Resolution declares the City’s intent to consider adoption of an ordinance establishing district-based elections beginning with the November 2024 regular municipal election.Under Elections Code Section 10010, a city is required to hold at least five public hearings during the transition process. The first two public hearings will give the community an opportunity to provide input on the composition of the districts before any maps are drawn. Subsequently, draft district maps will be drawn by the city’s demographer, and two additional public hearings will be held for the public to provide input regarding the content of the draft maps and the proposed sequence of elections. The maps must be published at least seven days before the public hearings. The fifth, and final, public hearing will be for the governing body to consider an ordinance that establishes the district-based elections and approves the maps.District Drawing FactorsThe 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. Examples of these include, but are not limited to: -Naturaldividinglinessuchasmajorroads,hills,orhighways.-Areasaroundparksandotherneighborhoodlandmarks/amenities.-Schoolattendanceareas.-Commonissues,neighborhoodactivities,orlegislative/electionconcerns;and-Shareddemographiccharacteristics,suchas:
o Similarlevelsofincome,education,orlinguisticinsolation.
o Languagesspokenathome.
o Single-familyandmulti-familyhousingunitareas.The district boundary maps must meet certain criteria. In particular, the districts must be roughly equal in population, excluding persons incarcerated in federal prisons. However, persons incarcerated at Santa Rita Jail are included in the population count for the districts (Elec. Code, § 21601, subd. (a)).The districts are further subject to the following criteria in order of priority:-Geographical contiguity.-Minimize the division of any local neighborhood or local community of interest.-Easily identified and understood by residents.-Geographical compactness. (Elec. Code, § 21601, subd. (c).)Community Outreach
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In April, the City of Dublin launched an extensive and robust outreach process to ensure that the Dublin community is engaged and empowered to participate in the districting process. Staff began by creating dedicated districting web pages on the City website, and expanded to a multi-media outreach approach. To date, outreach has included weekly districting social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Nextdoor, two press releases, emails to website districting subscribers, calls and emails to civic and community business organizations, and a process flyer posted to the website and distributed at the Dublin farmer’s market.In addition to print and digital outreach, the City hosted two Community Workshops for the public and sent out a Citywide Community Workshop postcard to all Dublin postal customers. The workshops provided an informal setting for community members to learn about the districting process and mapping tools, share their thoughts on their neighborhoods and communities of interest, and ask questions. The first Community Workshop took place on April 28 on Zoom, and the second Community Workshop was held in person at The Wave Community Room on May 4. Meeting resources from the Community Workshops were posted to the Dublin districting web pages. The virtual workshop held on April 28, 2022 had a total attendance of 43 unique viewers, including staff and consultants. The in-person workshop held on May 4, 2022 at The Wave Community Room had a total attendance of 10. The City has already received multiple maps and feedback on Communities of Interest and will continue its extensive outreach efforts to ensure that the public’s voice is heard throughout the process. Public input received on potential Communities of Interest can be found in Attachment 1. Next StepsInterested community members are strongly encouraged to visit the Dublin Districts webpage at www.dublin.ca.gov/dublindistricts. There individuals can subscribe for program updates and findall materials relating to the transition to district-based elections. Anyone with questions or comments on this process can email the City at dublindistricts@dublin.ca.gov or call the District Formation Call Line at 925-574-4875.The tentative schedule for future hearing dates and workshops regarding the City’s potential transition from at-large to district-based elections is as follows:Table 1: Tentative ScheduleDateMeeting TopicsThursdayApril 28, 20226:00 p.m.Virtual Workshop 1 Overview of Process, Parameters, Mapping Tools; Community Feedback.(Done)WednesdayMay 4, 20226:00 p.m.In-Person Workshop 2 Overview of Process, Parameters, Mapping Tools; Community Feedback.(Done)TuesdayMay 17, 2022 Public Hearing 2 Map Drawing Criteria, Communities of Interest; Mapping Tools; Community
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7:00 p.m.Feedback.TuesdayJune 21, 20227:00 p.m.Public Hearing 3 NDC and Community Draft Maps; Community Feedback.
TuesdayJuly 19, 20227:00 p.m.Public Hearing 4 NDC and Community Revised Maps; City Council Selects Finalist(s); Sequencing of District Elections.TuesdayAugust 16, 20227:00 p.m.Public Hearing 5 City Council Final Map Selection; Introduction of Ordinance.
TuesdaySeptember 6, 20227:00 p.m.City Council Consent Calendar Second Reading of Ordinance.
The City may adjust this schedule to include additional public outreach or special City Council meetings. All interested parties are encouraged to subscribe to program updates at www.dublin.ca.gov/dublindistricts to stay up to date.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:None.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:The City published a Public Hearing Notice in the East Bay Times and posted on www.dublin.ca.gov/dublindistricts on May 11, 2022. Individuals subscribed to the Dublin Districts notification list were emailed regarding this meeting. The City Council Agenda was posted.
ATTACHMENTS:1) Community Feedback Received
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Attachment 1
Community Feedback Submitted to City
As of May 6, 2022
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From:Chandra Singh
To:Dublin Districts
Subject:OUR NEIGHBOR - MURRAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Date:Monday, May 2, 2022 8:19:20 AM
Hi,
We have a common interest. My family bought a house .
Do we predict the scholar GROWTH in the coming decade? For past year 2021-22 , I see good traffic at school
morning / afternoon
On DAVONA STREET.
Our community do contain CHURCHES. CHURCH OF LATER DAY SAINTS AND SAINT PHILIP
LUTHERAN.
I am interested. Our DISTRICT has all ethnicities.
We can later discuss MAPS.
Best,
Chandra Mohan Singh
DUBLIN 94568-1240
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless
you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
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May 4, Dublin District Formation Workshop Feedback
Dublin Communities of Interest:
● Middle School Boundaries
o There is a larger impacted area on the East Side, this has created challenges
for how kids commute to school.
● School attendance zones
● Dublin Green neighborhood
● Tassajara meadows neighborhood
o Many families, school communities, both Dublin High and elementary schools
● Summer Glen neighborhood
● Intersection of Dublin Boulevard & Arnold Road
o Large newer developments and overcrowded
● “Central Dublin”
o East of “Central Dublin” – everything developed after 1997, newer families
o West Dublin – older and more engaged
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City of Dublin
Public Hearing 2
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Election Systems
1.“At Large”
2.“From District” or “Residence” Districts
3.“By District”
The California Voting Rights Act was written to
specifically encourage by-district elections.
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California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)
❑Under the Federal Voting Rights Act (passed in 1965), a jurisdiction must
fail 4 factual tests before it is in violation of the law
❑The California VRA makes it significantly easier for plaintiffs to force
jurisdictions into “by-district” election systems by eliminating two of the
US Supreme Court Gingles tests:
❑Can the protected class constitute the majority of a district?
❑Does the protected class vote as a bloc?
❑Do the voters who are not in the protected class vote in a bloc to defeat the
preferred candidates of the protected class?
❑Do the “totality of circumstances” indicate race is a factor in elections?
❑Liability is now determined only by the presence of racially polarized
voting
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CVRA Impact
❑Switched (or in the process of
switching) as a result of CVRA:
❑At least 240 school districts
❑34 Community College Districts
❑Over 165 cities
❑35 water and other special districts
❑Cases So Far:
❑Palmdale, Santa Clara and Santa Monica
went to trial on the merits. Palmdale and
Santa Clara lost. Santa Monica is awaiting
a decision.
❑Modesto and Palmdale each spent about
$1.8 million on their defense (in addition
to the attorney fee awards in those cases).
❑Santa Monica has spent an estimated $7
million so far. Plaintiffs in Santa Monica
requested $22 million in legal fees after
the original trial.
❑Key settlements:
❑Palmdale: $4.7 million
❑Modesto: $3 million
❑Highland: $1.3 million
❑Anaheim: $1.1 million
❑Whittier: $1 million
❑Santa Barbara: $600,000
❑Tulare Hospital: $500,000
❑Camarillo: $233,000
❑Compton Unified: $200,000
❑Madera Unified: about $170,000
❑Hanford Joint Union Schools:
$118,000
❑Merced City: $42,000
❑An estimated $16 million in total
settlements and court awards so
far
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Districting Timeline
Step Description
Public Hearing 1
April 19, 2022
Overview of Process, Outreach Preview, Mapping Tools,
Communities of Interest; Community Feedback.
Workshops
(1) April 28, 2022
(2) May 4, 2022
6:00 p.m.
Overview of Process, Parameters, Mapping Tools;
Community Feedback.
Public Hearing 2
May 17, 2022
7:00 p.m.
Map Drawing Criteria, Communities of Interest; Mapping
Tools; Community Feedback.
June 5, 2022
5:00 p.m.
Deadline to submit draft maps for Council consideration at
the June 21st Public Hearing.
Public Hearing 3
June 21, 2022
7:00 p.m.
NDC and Community Draft Maps; Community Feedback.
July 6, 2022
5:00 p.m.
Deadline to submit draft maps for Council consideration at
the July 19th Public Hearing.
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Step Description
Public Hearing 4
July 19, 2022
7:00 pm
NDC and Community Revised Maps; City Council Selects
Finalist(s); Sequencing of District Elections.
Public Hearing 5
August 16, 2022
7:00 pm
City Council Final Map Selection; Introduction of
Ordinance.
City Council Consent
Calendar
September 6, 2022
7:00 pm
Second Reading of Ordinance.
Districting Timeline (cont.)
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Equal Population
Federal Voting Rights Act
No Racial Gerrymandering
Respect voters’ choices /
continuity in office
Future population growth
1. Federal Laws 2. California Criteria for
Cities
1.Geographically contiguous
2.Undivided neighborhoods
and “communities of
interest”
(Socio-economic geographic areas
that should be kept together)
3.Easily identifiable
boundaries
4.Compact
(Do not bypass one group of
people to get to a more distant
group of people)
Prohibited:
“Shall not favor or discriminate against
a political party.”
3. Other Traditional
Districting Principles
Districting Rules and Goals
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Demographic
Summary
Estimates using official
2020 demographic data
and NDC’s estimated
total population
figures.
Each of the 4 districts
must contain about
17,867 people.
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CVAP by
Race/Ethnicity
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Other Socio-Economic Demographics
These data are only available at the Block
Group and Tract level of geography, not
the more granular Census Block level.
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Possible Neighborhoods / Communities
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Possible Neighborhoods / Communities
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Beyond Neighborhoods:
Defining Communities of Interest
1st Question: What defines your community?
❑Geographic Area, plus
❑Shared issue or characteristic
❑Shared social or economic interest
❑Impacted by city policies
❑Tell us “your community’s story”
2nd Question:Would this community benefit from being “included within a
single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation”?
❑Or would it benefit more from having multiple representatives?
Definitions of Communities of Interest may not include relationships
with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
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Public Mapping and Map Review Tools
Different tools for different purposes, levels of technical skill, and interest
❑Simple “review draft maps” tool
❑Paper “Draw a draft map” tool
❑Powerful, data-rich online “Draw a draft map” tool
Whether you use the online mapping tool, the paper kit,
or just draw on a napkin, we welcome your maps!
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Share Your Thoughts/Continue Engagement
Click “Subscribe” on
Dublin.ca.gov/DublinDistricts to sign up for
updates
Email: dublindistricts@dublin.ca.gov
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