First community meeting regarding new by-district elections happening Dec. 5
–Prompted by a legal challenge that alleges Paso Robles’ current City Council election system violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2002, the City of Paso Robles is transitioning from the current at-large system of electing the city council to a by-district election model. Eight to ten informational meetings and public hearings are scheduled to take place between 11/20/18 and 4/16/2019. Residents are being asked to help design the maps of the districts. Demographics and a mapping tool will be available to those interested in submitting draft maps.
The first three meetings are as follows:
• 12/5 Community Meeting, 6 p.m., Centennial Park
• 12/10 Community Meeting, 6 p.m., Flamson Auditorium
• 12/18 Public Hearing, 6:30 p.m., City Council Chamber
Districts must have equal population and the most effective are based on communities of interest, are compact and contiguous, with visible (natural and man-made) boundaries such as a river or existing school or police precinct districts, and/or respect residents’ wishes for continuity.
The Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 meetings will provide more in depth information on the Federal and traditional criteria for setting boundaries and familiarize residents with demographic data, mapping tools and case histories of cities that have transitioned to by-district elections. The Dec. 18 public hearing will gather public input on the composition of each district.
Further outreach and community meetings will be held in January to educate and encourage residents to utilize mapping tools prior to a February workshop to draft boundary maps and a potential election sequence.
More information, including the legal challenge letter and timeline for the transition here: https://www.prcity.com/770/By-District-City-Council-Elections
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