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Livermore City Council is set to host its second public hearing to receive an update on the city’s redistricting efforts and receive public input on the composition of City Council voting districts and communities of interest before maps are drafted.
Every decade, in correlation with updated census data, cities with district-based elections are required to update their district boundaries to ensure that the districts remain substantially equal and still protect the rights of members of communities of interest to vote for candidates of their choice, according to the city staff agenda report. The city of Livermore has until April 17 to adopt new district maps.
The Livermore council initiated the move from an at-large to district-based election system in 2018 to comply with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001. The November 2020 election was the first time voters saw district-based elections in the city.
Since then, the 2020 census has been completed and the data has been evaluated. The City Council must now complete the second of two public hearings before maps are drafted as part of the redistricting process. The first hearing took place on Oct. 11, 2021.
The city’s demography consultant, Wagaman Strategies, has provided mapping tools for residents to review draft maps and to develop and submit their own map proposals, according to city officials. Following Monday night’s second public hearing, staff said it will be heavily promoting the online mapping tool for the public to submit their communities of interest.
All proposed maps and communities of interest are due to the city by Jan. 31 at 5 p.m.
Two more hearings are scheduled for Feb. 14 and March 14 and the council will be asked to adopt the final map at the March 28 regular City Council meeting.
Monday’s virtual meeting is set to begin at 7 p.m. with the hearing scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. Access links to attend are available here.
