HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.1 Dublin Districts Public Hearing 1 Program Overview and Community Feedback OpportunitySTAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
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Agenda Item 6.1
DATE:April 19, 2022
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:Linda Smith, City Manager
SUBJECT:Dublin Districts—Public Hearing 1: Program Overview 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 Tripepi Smith and National Demographics Corporation will provide a brief presentation, prior to the public hearing,to detail the map drawing process and community outreach strategy.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:Receive the presentation, open the public hearing, receive public comment, and close the public hearing.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:In March 2022, the City issued a Request For Qualifications for District-Based Elections Transition Demography and/or Community Outreach Consultants. The City received two proposals and selected the consultant team of Tripepi Smith and National Demographics Corporation (NDC). The cost of these services includes approximately $50,000 in Demographer Fees and $59,000 in project management, community outreach,and translation 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).
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DESCRIPTION: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. At the conclusion of the second public hearing, the City Council will determine which criteria will be used to create one or more proposed district maps. 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 City Council 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 distract 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 incarcerated persons. (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).)
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To assist with these districting efforts, the City has hired a consultant team of Tripepi Smith and NDC. Tripepi Smith will serve as the project manager and outreach consultant for this process and will coordinate with Staff and NDC on the overall process and community outreach efforts. Outreach efforts are intended to promote public participation in the district formation process,facilitate the collection of information regarding Communities of Interest, and facilitate the public’s understanding of how to suggest new district lines through the drawing of draft maps for the Council’s consideration. Planned outreach includes the following: -Strategic counsel on the city's districting webpage content.-Flyers promoting two virtual workshops and four public hearings.-Social media outreach for the duration of the project.-Social media advertisements.-Press releases promoting the virtual workshops and public hearings.-Two virtual workshops:○Virtual workshop 1: overview of the district formation process and collection of public input on COI’s.○Virtual workshop 2: demonstration of how to use the paper mapping tool, Dave’s Redistricting App (online mapping tool).-Direct Community Group outreach.Representatives from Tripepi Smith and NDC will be providing a brief presentation, prior to the public hearing, to detail the map drawing process and community outreach strategy.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 elections to district-based is as follows:Table 1: Tentative ScheduleDateMeeting TopicsThursdayApril 28, 20226:00 p.m.Virtual Workshop 1 Overview of Process, Parameters, Mapping Tools; Community Feedback.
WednesdayMay 4, 20226:00 p.m.Virtual Workshop 2 Overview of Process, Parameters, Mapping Tools; Community Feedback.
TuesdayMay 17, 20227:00 p.m.Public Hearing 2 Map Drawing Criteria, Communities of Interest; Mapping Tools; Community Feedback.
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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.
Virtual Workshops will take place on Zoom and will be recorded. Recordings will be made available at www.dublin.ca.gov/dublindistricts. 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 April 13, 2022. Individuals subscribed to the Dublin Districts notification list were emailed regarding this meeting. The City Council Agenda was posted.
ATTACHMENTS:None.
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City of Dublin
Introduction to Districting
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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
❑1 County Board of Supervisors
❑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.
Virtual 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.
April 19, 2022
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
Redistricting Principles
Redistricting 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.
April 19, 2022
Category Field Total Category Field Total
2020 Census Total Population 71,468 age0-19 28%
Hispanic/Latino 11%age20-60 58%
NH White 25%age60plus 14%
NH Black 4%immigrants 39%
NH Asian/Pac.Isl.58%naturalized 51%
NH Native Amer.1%English 52%
Total 35,769 Spanish 5%
Hisp 12%Asian-lang 27%
NH White 41%Other lang 16%
NH Black 5%Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"15%
Asian/Pac.Isl.41%hs-grad 22%
Native Amer.1%bachelor 38%
Total 34,207 graduatedegree 30%
Latino est.11%Child in Household child-under18 47%
Spanish-Surnamed 10%Pct of Pop. Age 16+employed 72%
Asian-Surnamed 26%income 0-25k 5%
Filipino-Surnamed 3%income 25-50k 7%
NH White est.54%income 50-75k 7%
NH Black 5%income 75-200k 47%
Total 29,128 income 200k-plus 34%
Latino est.10%single family 70%
Spanish-Surnamed 10%multi-family 30%
Asian-Surnamed 26%rented 35%
Filipino-Surnamed 3%owned 65%
NH White est.54%
NH Black 5%
Total 18,235
Latino est.10%
Spanish-Surnamed 10%
Asian-Surnamed 21%
Filipino-Surnamed 3%
NH White est.59%
NH Black est.5%
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2020)
Voter Turnout (Nov
2020)
Age
Voter Turnout (Nov
2018)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Immigration
Language spoken at
home
Total population data from California's adjusted 2020
Census data. Citizen Voting Age Population data from
2016-2020 Special Tabulation data. Age, Immigration, and
other demographics from the 2015-2019 American
Community Survey 5-year data. Turnout and Registration
data from California Statewide Database ("Latino" figures
calculated by NDC using Census Bureau's Latino
undercount by surname estimate).
Total Pop.
Citizen Voting Age Pop
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Latinos are slightly concentrated in the
southern/central part of the City, but
the red and green Census Blocks have
very few people in them.
Latino CVAP
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Asian-American
CVAP
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African-Americans are not
geographically concentrated in large
numbers anywhere in the city.
African-
American CVAP
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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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Community Outreach Efforts
Multi-Media Outreach & engagement efforts to date
Dedicated Districting Webpages
Press Release
Social Media
Community Group Outreach
Process Flyer
Outreach & engagement moving forward
Workshops and additional hearings
Continued engagement publicizing each milestone in the process
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Districting Webpages
Dedicated City Districting Webpages:
Dublin.ca.gov/DublinDistricts
Includes Meeting Schedule, Documents, FAQs, Mapping
Tools, and Subscribe option to sign up for districting email
updates
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Press Release
Press release announcing
initiation of new process,
opportunities for public
engagement, & meeting
schedule.
Shared with Dublin press
release distribution list,
districting subscriber list and
posted to the website.
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Social Media
Social media content on
districting launched April 8 (on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Will be shared weekly moving
forward
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Process Flyer
Process flyer with FAQ’s
about districting and
multilingual notice
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Direct Outreach to Community Groups
Direct emails and phone calls to reach out to local community
groups prior to 4/19 hearing
Inform them of process
Ask for their active participation
Elections Code 21628 requires a good faith effort to provide:
“information through good government, civil rights, civic engagement, and
community groups or organizations that are active in the city, including
those active in language minority communities”
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Future Outreach Opportunities
Virtual Community Workshops
April 28, 6 p.m.
May 4, 6 p.m.
Due dates for draft map submissions
June 5, by 5 p.m. (for consideration at Public Hearing 3)
July 6, by 5 p.m. (for consideration at Public Hearing 4)
Continued engagement publicizing each milestone in the
process
Will continue to publicize each hearing and community workshop to
increase public engagement
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Defining Neighborhoods
1st Question: What is your neighborhood?
2nd Question: What are its geographic boundaries?
Examples of physical features defining a neighborhood boundary:
❑Natural neighborhood dividing lines, such as highway or major
roads, rivers, canals and/or hills
❑Areas around parks or schools
❑Other neighborhood landmarks
In the absence of public testimony, planning records and other similar
documents may provide definition.
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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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Possible Neighborhoods / Communities
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Possible Neighborhoods / Communities
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Public Mapping and Map Review Tools
❑Different tools for different purposes
❑Different tools for different levels of technical skill and interest
❑Simple “review draft maps” tool
❑Easy-to-use “Draw your neighborhood” tool
❑Paper “Draw a draft map” tool
❑Powerful, data-rich “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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Simple Map Drawing Tool
Paper “Public Participation Kit”
❑For those without internet
access or who prefer paper
❑Total Population Counts only
–no demographic numbers
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Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA)
❑DavesRedistricting.org
❑A powerful but easy-to-use online mapping tool
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Public Hearing & Discussion
❑What is your neighborhood and what are its boundaries?
❑What other notable areas are in the City, and what are their
boundaries?
❑Any questions about the mapping tools?
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Share Your Thoughts
Website
Dublin.CA.Gov/DublinDistricts
Phone
(925) 574-4875
Email
dublindistricts@dublin.ca.gov
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Staff Recommendation
1.Receive the presentation.
2.Open the public hearing.
3.Receive public comment.
4.Close the public hearing.
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