11-16-2021 CC RPT 20 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Redistricting Report • Page 2 During the same meeting, City Council was made aware of AB 849, known as the "Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions Act" or "Fair Maps Act," which specifies the criteria and deadlines for cities and counties to adopt or adjust new district (ward) boundaries. The Fair Maps Act defines hearing procedures that allow the public to provide input on the placement of boundaries and proposed boundary maps. The Fair Maps Act requires the governing body to take specified steps to encourage the residents of local jurisdictions to participate in the redistricting process. DISCUSSION: Overview of Procedural Requirements for Redistricting Riverside City Charter Section 402 requires City Council, by an ordinance, to divide the city boundaries into seven wards, review the boundaries of those wards every ten years, and adjust, by ordinance, those boundaries to provide for a substantially equal number of residents in each ward. The resulting redistricting ordinance becomes effective thirty days after it is adopted, and the existing ward boundaries are to be used until that redistricting ordinance establishes new ward boundaries. Under California Election Code Division 21, Chapter 7, Article 2, new wards established generally may not be changed until after the next decennial census in 2031. However, Riverside City Charter states that ward boundary adjustments may occur more frequently as determined necessary upon receipt of official census data. The substantive requirements of the Fair Maps Act for drawing of the ward boundaries are outlined in the California Elections Code section 21621. To the greatest extent practicable, the City is required to adopt district boundaries using the criteria in the following order of priority: 1. Equal population of residents (+/- 10%) in each ward based on census data. 2. Comply with the United States and California Constitutions, including the Federal and California Voting Rights Acts (FVRA and CVRA). 3. Council wards shall be geographically contiguous. 4. The geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest should be respected and included within a single ward for its effective and fair representation in a manner that minimizes its division. 5. Council wards should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents. 6. Council wards shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations. 7. Council ward boundaries shall not be established for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party. Riverside City Charter Section 402 sets forth an additional criterion that Council ward boundary adjustments during a Councilmember's term shall not result in disqualification for membership on the Council during such term. Redistricting Format Options: For the 2022 redistricting process, there are several methods available for updating district boundaries for the City Council to consider (1) the legislative body oversees the redistricting process; (2) defer the process to a City Council Standing Committee or (3) establish one of three types of Redistricting Commissions.