District + At-Large Mayor Elections Begin Nov. 8, 2022

On June 7, 2022, City of Santa Cruz voters passed Measure E, amending the City's Charter and creating six districts and an at-large directly elected Mayor. This change will go into effect with November 8, 2022 election with the filling of three seats: Councilmembers for Districts 4 and 6 and the new Mayor.

Key elements of the new six district model include:

• Six districts represented by Councilmembers who reside in those districts
• An at-large elected Mayor serving a four-year term
• City maintains a “Council-Manager” form of government
• Mayor possesses the same authority as one member of the Council
• Mayor sets Council meeting agendas
• Sitting City Council members continue in office until their successors are elected and qualified

Candidate Nomination Period

The candidate nomination period for the November 8, 2022 election is July 18 -- August 12. If an incumbent does not file by 5 p.m. on August 12, the deadline is extended 5 days for anyone other than the incumbent to file papers. Read more on the City Clerk's Candidate Information page.

Find Your District

View the Interactive Map: To find your district, enter your FULL address with no abbreviations. EXAMPLE: 123 Main Street (not 123 Main St.)

Download the full Council-approved six-district map

Background on the Transition to District Elections

OVERVIEW

In February of 2020, the City of Santa Cruz received a notice of Claim of Violation of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) that threatened suit unless the City transitioned to a district-based electoral system.  While the City has denied that its at-large election system violates the CVRA, to avoid the costs and uncertainties associated with litigation, the City entered into a settlement agreement in May 2020, whereby the City agreed to consider a Resolution of Intention to Transition to District Elections for the November 2022 election. On May 26, 2020, the City Council passed Resolution No. NS-29,657 where it agreed to consider adopting an ordinance to institute a district-based election system before the November 2022 regular election. 

ON THE JUNE 2022 BALLOT

On February 22, the City Council passed a resolution placing a proposed charter amendment establishing six districts and a directly elected, at-large Mayor on the June 7, 2022 ballot. Functionally,  the voters chose between two models -- six districts and an at-large Mayor or simply seven districts. Because of the two possibilities, the Council had to adopt two district maps, one with six districts and one with seven districts.

The City's demographer, National Demographics Corporation, created draft maps for each model and a potential sequence of elections for City Council consideration. The City Council held the first of two public meetings seeking input on the draft map(s) and elections schedule on March 29, 2022. Following the first public hearing on March 29, the demographer incorporated feedback received from the City Council and public into several additional draft maps, linked below. Surveys were conducted with each set of maps.

At the second public hearing on April 19, 2022, the City Council selected district maps 101 and 602 (and election sequencing described below) and introduced Ordinance No. 2022-06.  The purpose of the public hearing that was scheduled for May 24 was to receive public input and consider adoption of Ordinance No. 2022-06. Additional detail about this meeting can be found further down this page.  

Ways to The Public Engaged

The interactive review map 

Forums

The City of Santa Cruz will host two virtual meetings to provide background and next steps on the City's transition to district elections:

• A Spanish-speaking meeting on Monday, March 21st at 5:30 PM
• An English-speaking meeting on Thursday, March 24th at 6:00 PM

Providing Feedback

Online: Take the City's surveys on the proposed district maps:

UPDATED APRIL 11:

• New six-district map survey
• New seven-district map survey

SURVEYS ON ORIGINAL MAPS:

• Six-district map survey
• Seven-district map survey

In-person: View draft maps and take a survey at:
City Hall (Room 9/10) Lobby
Downtown Library
London Nelson Community Center

• Six-district proposal
• Seven-district proposal

Instructions: Here is a short how-to video and here is an in-depth how-to video. Here is the webpage with the demographer's written instructions for those who prefer that. Please note this online tool can take a minute to upload!

Drawing Maps By Hand
English Drawing Kit
Equipo en español

Attending a Public Forum
City staff will host a webinar at a date and time yet to be determined.  Check back here for details as they develop.

Attending a Public Hearing

Details and recordings can be found on the City Council meetings page.

About the Move to Districts

The City must comply with state and federally-mandated criteria when developing districts.  These include requirements that each district:

• Must contain a nearly equal population. 
• Must be drawn in a manner that complies with the Federal Voting Rights Act.
• May not be drawn with race as the predominate factor in violation of the principles established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993), and its progeny. 
• Must be contiguous, which means districts should not hop, skip and jump over some areas to include others.
• Must be drawn to maintain “communities of interest” so that people of like interests are brought together for representation.
• Should be consistent with city, county and local government boundary lines as much as possible.
• Should be compact. California defines compactness “as not bypassing nearby populated areas in favor of more distant populated areas.”

CITY OF SANTA CRUZ NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

August 12, 2021 | Recording available here

August 31, 2021 | Recording available here)

September 18, 2021 | Recording available here

March 29, 2022 | Recording available here

April 19, 2022

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the CVRA?

Full text: AB-182 California Voting Rights Act of 2001

Summaries and Analysis: California League of Cities | Wikipedia | California Journal of Politics and Policy

The 2002 California Voting Rights Act ("CVRA”) amends how the federal Voting Rights Act ("VRA") applies in the State of California. The federal VRA outlaws both intentional discrimination in voting practices and practices with unintentionally discriminatory effects when viewed as a whole. The CVRA expands upon the VRA. In short, a CVRA violation exists if a prospective plaintiff can show that racially-polarized voting undercuts their ability to either elect or influence the election of minority-preferred candidates. Racially-polarized voting is voting where there is a difference between the choice of candidate preferred by voters in a protected class and the electoral choices preferred by the rest of the voting electorate.

The CVRA discourages any election system that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence an election’s outcome. It focuses on the difference between district-based elections and at-large elections. In an at-large election, voters from the entire City elect all members of the City Council. In a district-based election, the City is divided into geographical districts and voters residing within each district choose their Councilmember, who must also reside within that district. While the CVRA does not bar at-large elections, a district-based election is less likely to lead to racially-polarized voting.

Why is the City of Santa Cruz changing how it elects Councilmembers?

In February of 2020, the City of Santa Cruz received a notice of Claim of Violation of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) that threatened suit unless the City transitioned from its current at-large system to a district-based electoral system. While the City has denied that its at-large election system violates the CVRA, to avoid the costs and uncertainties associated with litigation, the City entered into a settlement agreement in May 2020, whereby the City agreed to consider a Resolution of Intention to Transition to District Elections for the November 2022 election. 

How do we currently elect our City Councilmembers and Mayor?

The City has long held at-large elections for its seven councilmembers. (City Charter Section 601). A person is eligible to be nominated for or hold office if they are (i) a registered qualified voter of the City and (ii) have been a resident of the City for at least thirty (30) days before their nomination or appointment. The City staggers its elections so that three councilmembers are elected at one time and four elected two years later, all for four-year terms. The City Council selects the Mayor each year, with the Mayor serving a one-year term.

What are district elections and how will creating voting districts affect me?

In district elections, the City is divided into council districts. Each voter resides within one of those districts and participates in the election of one city councilmember, who must reside in and be a registered voter of that district. Registered voters will not be able to vote for councilmember candidates from districts where they do not reside.

How are districts created?

The City hosted several public meetings in fall 2021 to receive input on what districts should look like. The City’s demographer then created several proposed draft maps for the City Council to consider this spring. 

The City must comply with state and federally-mandated criteria when developing districts. These include requirements that each district:

• Must contain a nearly equal population. 
• May not be drawn with race as the predominate factor in violation of the principles established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993), and its progeny. 
• Must be contiguous, which means districts should not hop, skip and jump over some areas to include others.
• Must be drawn to maintain “communities of interest” so that people of like interests are brought together for representation.
• Should be consistent with city, county and local government boundary lines as much as possible.
• Should be compact. California defines compactness “as not bypassing nearby populated areas in favor of more distant populated areas.”

The City Council will adopt district maps and election sequencing for the districts this spring following public hearings, currently scheduled for March 29 and April 19.

What will we be on the June 7 ballot?

A June 7 ballot measure will give voters the choice between seven districts or six districts plus an at-large mayor.  If the ballot measure passes, a six-district map plus at-large mayor system will prevail.  If the ballot measure does not pass, the City will have seven districts, and the Council will continue to select the Mayor for a one-year term.  Because of these two possibilities, the Council will adopt two district maps, one with six districts and one with seven districts.

Additionally, the June 7 ballot measure contains updated rules on term limits and provides for and run-off elections.

Why is a charter amendment on the June 7 ballot?

The transition to districts creates a significant change to how voters elect the City Council, and the Council wanted to concurrently ask voters whether they would want an at large, directly-elected mayor.  Note also that because the switch to district elections is a remedy specified by the CVRA, courts have held that a charter amendment is not required in order for a charter city to implement a district elections system.  However, because the Santa Cruz City Charter requires the mayor to be selected by the Council, a Charter amendment is required for voters to be able to directly elect their mayor.  

How can I participate in the decision-making process on the maps?

The City Council will host two public hearings on the proposed draft maps, currently scheduled for March 29 and April 19, for residents to provide feedback on the composition of proposed election districts for City Council seats.

TIMELINE OF CITY AND COUNCIL ACTION

May 26, 2020: Resolution No. NS-29,657: City Council voted in support of this Resolution of Intention to Transition to District Elections for the November 2022 Election.

November 24, 2020: City-National Demographics Corporation Contract: City enters into a Professional Services Agreement with demographer expert, National Demographics Corporation to analyze proposed election districts, prepare draft district maps, and assist with public meetings.

May 2021: Council Presentation: City Staff presentation to Council and community regarding CVRA requirements, “What Others Have Done” information, and proposed next steps.

May 2021: District Election Webpage Published: City creates webpage to address frequently asked questions, to post notices, press releases, and information regarding community meetings. 

August 2021: Council Presentation: City Staff presentation to Council and community regarding proposed next steps timeline and any updates as to the transition process. 

August 2021: Council Presentation: City Staff, with NDC's assistance, will hold 2 introductory meetings to gain public input on the general layout of districts and an election schedule. Meeting details to be published here on the City’s website. 

 Late January 2022:City Publishes Maps and Election Schedule: City staff will publish three draft maps and the potential sequence of elections at least seven days before the post-publication meetings. Staff will launch a broad outreach strategy to maximize public input on the drafts map(s). 

Late March/April 2022: Post-Publication Public Meetings: The City Council will hold two public meetings seeking input on the draft map(s) and elections schedule. If either is revised, City staff will publish the revised document at least seven days before Council action. After these meetings, the demographer will review and revise, if necessary, the proposed map and election schedule. 

Late April 2022:  Council Action on Ordinance Transitioning to District Elections: The City Council will vote to (1) either approve or reject an ordinance establishing district-based elections, (2) approve or reject the final proposed district map, and (3) approve or reject the final proposed election schedule. Unless further revisions are needed, this will take place at the second public meeting listed above.

November 8, 2022:General Election: If approved by Council, the City implements its ordinance-approved district election map and elections schedule.

NOTICES AND PRESS RELEASES

https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/Home/Components/News/News/9470/36

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Resolution No. NS-29,657

National Demographics Corporation Professional Services Agreement

California Voting Rights Act  

CONTACT INFO

Please contact City Clerk Bonnie Bush at BBush@cityofsantacruz.com or at (831) 420-5010 with any questions or comments regarding the district election transition process.