Paso Robles Districting Introduction to Districting November 20, 2018

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 November 20, 2018

CVRA Impact Switched (or in the process of switching) as a result of CVRA: At least 175 school districts 28 Community College Districts 100+ cities 1 County Board of Supervisors 10 water and other special districts. 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 Madera Unified: about $170,000 Hanford Joint Union Schools: $118,000 Merced City: $42,000 November 20, 2018

Long-Term Alternatives District are the only available short-term solution Long-term possibility for Charter City with alternative election systems Requires state law changes and county election equipment upgrades Staff is planning 2019 study sessions on charter and alternative election details November 20, 2018

Districting Process Step Description Two Initial Hearings Nov. 5 & Dec. 18 Held prior to release of draft maps. Education and to solicit input on the communities in the District. Release draft maps Maps must be posted at least 7 days prior to 3rd hearing. Two hearings on draft maps March 5 & March 26 or April 2 Two meetings to discuss and revise the draft maps and to discuss the election sequence. Ordinance Introduction & Adoption April 2 & 16 Final map must be posted at least 7 days prior to adoption. November 2020 First by-district election held in two Council districts. 2021 Trustee areas revised to reflect 2020 Census data. November 2022 First by-district election held in remaining Council districts. November 20, 2018

Traditional Districting Criteria Federal Laws Traditional Criteria Equal Population Federal Voting Rights Act No Racial Gerrymandering Communities of interest Compact Contiguous Visible (Natural & man-made) boundaries Respect for voters’ wishes and continuity in office Planned future growth November 20, 2018

Demographic Summary Each of the four Council districts will have about 7,448 residents. All of these data categories can be mapped. November 20, 2018

Latino CVAP The main concentrations of Latino eligible voters are along the west side of 101 and around Sherwood and Royal Oaks parks in the southeast. There are no geographic concentrations of African-Americans, Asian-Americans or Native Americans large enough to influence the demographics of a district. November 20, 2018

Defining Communities of Interest 1st Question: what is your neighborhood or community of interest? A Community of Interest is generally defined as a neighborhood or community of shared interests, views, problems, or characteristics. Possible community feature/boundary definitions include: School attendance areas Natural neighborhood dividing lines, such as highway or major roads, rivers, canals, and/or hills Areas around parks and other neighborhood landmarks Common issues, neighborhood activities, or legislative/election concerns Shared demographic characteristics Such as similar levels of income, education, or linguistic isolation 2nd Question: Does a Community of Interest want to be united in one district, or to be divided so the community has voters in multiple districts? November 20, 2018

Parks & Schools Do parks and/or schools provide focus points of Paso Robles neighborhoods? November 20, 2018

Downtown Is Downtown a Community of Interest in the City? Should it be united in one district or a part of many districts? November 20, 2018

Police Reporting Districts Do police reporting districts roughly match Paso Robles neighborhoods in some or all areas of the city? November 20, 2018

Public Map-Drawing Options NDC can provide paper, paper and Microsoft Excel, and/or online public access districting tools, but they are optional and do involve significant additional cost. For those interested residents with the time and inclination, these options are a powerful option, but they do take time to figure out. Sample images from Simi Valley’s tools: November 20, 2018

Public Hearing What are the boundaries of your neighborhood or “community of interest”? Do you want your neighborhood united in one district, or with multiple Councilmembers elected from it? What neighborhoods do you think make sense to be with your neighborhood in a district or districts because of common city issues? What other “communities of interest” do you see in the City? November 20, 2018