1. Paso Robles Districting Introduction to Districting
November 20, 2018

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

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

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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