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Redistricting Santa Rosa 2022
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Final Map Approved on March 29, 2022
On March 29, 2022, Santa Rosa City Council approved an ordinance updating lines for the city's district-based elections, with changes made to better align the City of Santa Rosa with the California FAIR MAPs Act, as well as more evently distribute the population of the city acress all districts.
Under the FAIR MAPs Act, the City will keep this webpage available for public view to see the submission and method with which the city came to these updated district lines.
Background
From October 2021 through April 2022, the City of Santa Rosa underwent the process of redistricting following the completion of the 2020 U.S. Census. Redistricting, which occurs approximately every ten years, is defined as election districts lines being redrawn so that each district is substantially equal in population. Redistricting is performed following the publication of data from the U.S. Census, a survey conducted about the nation’s population and economy every 10 years.
The California Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions (FAIR MAPS) Act requires cities and counties to engage communities in the redistricting process by holding public hearings and workshops and performing public outreach, including to non-English-speaking communities
During this process, city staff accepted draft maps drawing new district from the third-party contractor on the redistricing initiative, Redistricting Partners, and from those in the public who could fill draft maps out in-person, via email, and/or through an online program called DistrictR. The public was also invited to submit community of interest (COI) maps through the same methods.
At the time of approval, maps were submitted from Redistricting Partners and through DistrictR only. All of the submitted draft maps can be viewed here, with the map titled "Council District Draft_A2" being the final approved map:
View the Submitted Draft Maps
Maps displayed above were submitted by Redistricting Partners and by the members of the public through the online mapping tool DistrictR. View the City of Santa Rosa DistrictR page
Meetings Schedule
| Date | Forum | Expected Discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 12, 2021 | City Council Study Session | Overview of redistricting process |
| Dec. 7, 2021 | City Council Meeting | Pre-mapping process |
| Jan. 25, 2022 | City Council Meeting | Presentation of draft maps |
| Feb. 17, 2022 | Community Outreach Meetings at Finley Community Center Auditorium | In-person meeting to discuss drafting of new maps and submit pen-and-paper map. |
| March 1, 2022 | City Council Meeting | Presentation/revisions of final draft map |
| March 29, 2022 | City Council Meeting | Final passage/approval by Council |
| April 12, 2022 | City Council Meeting | Second reading of final passage/approval by Council |
Why does redistricting matter?
Redistricting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for purposes of electing a Council Member. The City of Santa Rosa saught input in selecting the next district map for the City Council, and during this process, residents will had an opportunity to share with Council and City staff how they think district boundaries should have been drawn to best represent the community.
What criteria was used when redrawing district lines?
To the extent practicable, district lines will be adopted using the following criteria:
- Geographically contiguous districts (each city council district should share a common border with the next);
- The geographic integrity of local neighborhoods or communities shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division;
- Geographic integrity of a city shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division;
- Easily identifiable boundaries that follow natural or artificial barriers (rivers, streets, highways, rail lines, etc.); and
- Lines shall be drawn to encourage geographic compactness. In addition, boundaries shall not be drawn for purposes of favoring or discriminating against a political party.
Didn’t the City recently draw lines for district elections?
Yes. In 2018, the City of Santa Rosa went to a district-based election model in line with the California Voting Rights Act. All seven current Council Members were elected within these districts, with Districts 1, 3, 5, and 7 voted in 2020, and Districts 2, 4, and 6 voted in 2018. The lines for all seven districts were drawn using Census data from 2010, including areas of the City that were previously unincorporated.
Under the FAIR MAPS Act, completion and posting of the 2020 U.S. Census data triggered this new redistricting process. Once this redistricting process is complete in 2022, the next redistricting process in Santa Rosa would occur following the 2030 U.S. Census.
What do the previous council districts look like?
Below is a view of the City Council election districts prior to the 2022 Redistricing approval overlayed with four draft maps (Draft A, Draft B, Draft C, Draft A2) that were presented at the Jan. 25 and March 1 City Council meetings. To compare these draft maps with the current district lines, simply click Draft A, Draft B, Draft C, Draft A2 on the map below (click for full page view):
How did the City notify the public about redistricting?
The City made a concerted effort to obtain public feedback for the redistricting process by publishing information online and with local media partners, and through outreach with community groups of various kinds. Public hearings and workshops were provided in applicable languages if residents submitted a request in advance, and the City notified the public about redistricting meetings and post maps online before adoption. Residents were encouraged to check back to this page for regular updates about the redistricting process.