The Santa Rosa City Council will consider and review the final draft map for district-based elections at the March 29 City Council meeting, following a months-long redistricting process to retrieve community input and update the city’s election districts.

During the March 1 regular meeting, City Council reviewed multiple draft map submissions and met with Redistricting Partners, the contractor hired to assist in the city’s redistricting process. During that portion of the meeting, council members relayed to staff a preference to revise a draft map that is similar to how Santa Rosa’s current council districts are drawn. That new draft map (known as the Draft A2 map) includes the following highlights:

• A border currently separating Districts 2, 3, and 4 along Fourth Street/Sonoma Highway/BrushCreek Trail, between E Street and Mission Blvd., would move south to be along the Santa Rosa Creek. Based on this new border, an area of less than four-tenths of a square mile currently in Districts 2 and 3 would shift to District 4.
• An area of about one-tenth of a square mile bordered by Highway 101, Mendocino Ave., College Ave., and Ridgeway Ave. would shift from District 5 to District 4.
• An area of about three-hundredths of a square mile bordered by E Street, Brookwood Ave.,Sonoma Ave., and the Santa Rosa Creek would shift from District 2 to District 5.
• An estimated population of 3,220 currently in Districts 2 and 3 would shift to Districts 4 and 5. By district, estimated population losses and gains would be:
  • District 2 would lose 1,286.
  • District 3 would lose 1,053.
  • District 4 would gain 2,960.
  • District 5 would lose 621 on balance.
• Districts 1, 6, and 7 would remain unchanged.

The changes to district lines would reconfigure the districts to distribute population more evenly and better encase similar communities of interest within the same district, as well as align the city’s districts with California’s FAIR MAPS Act.

City Council will review map Draft A2, and any other maps submitted from March 1 to 22, at the March 29 City Council meeting. When a final map is approved by Council, the new election lines will be used in the upcoming 2022 General Election, when Districts 2, 3, 4, and 6 are up for election.

For more information and to review all draft maps, go to srcity.org/Redistricting.