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BACKGROUND <br /> On September 21 , 2021 , the City Council adopted a resolution of intention to transition <br /> from at-large to district-based elections in conformance with the California Voting Rights <br /> Act of 2001 ("CVRA") (Resolution No. 21-1240). This transition would be implemented <br /> for the 2022 general municipal election. <br /> Pursuant to Elections Code section 10010, the City is required to hold at least two <br /> public hearings over a period of no more than 30 days before any map or maps of the <br /> boundaries for the proposed voting districts are drawn. At these public hearings, the <br /> community is invited to provide input regarding boundaries and district composition. On <br /> January 4, 2022, the City Council held the first of these public hearings. <br /> Before developing draft district boundaries, the City Council is to receive comments <br /> from residents and interested community groups at the two public hearings to <br /> understand the community's view of appropriate district boundaries. At the end of <br /> tonight's public hearing, the City Council will determine which criteria will be used to <br /> create one or more proposed district maps. The City's demographer will then create <br /> one or more draft maps, which will be published for public comment and review at two <br /> subsequent public hearings. <br /> The City Council will receive public input both about the district boundaries and <br /> sequencing of the district elections at those two subsequent hearings and provide <br /> further direction to finalize the map and sequence of elections. The plan will then be <br /> incorporated into an ordinance that will be presented to the City Council for a final vote. <br /> The City Council is the final decision-making body on adopting district boundaries. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> District Formation Criteria <br /> The legally-required criteria that apply to the creation of voting districts are as follows: <br /> • Each Council district shall contain nearly equal population, with any deviations <br /> justified by other traditional redistricting criteria. <br /> • A districting plan shall be drawn in a manner that complies with the state and <br /> federal Constitutions, the Federal Voting Rights Act and other applicable law, <br /> including the CVRA. <br /> • Each Council district shall not be drawn with race as the predominant factor. <br /> In addition, state law requires that the City Council use the following criteria in the <br /> following order of priority: <br /> Page 2 of 4 <br />