Description: ORDINANCE NO. 6364AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF SONOMA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING REVISED SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES FOR ALL OF THE SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICTS OF THE COUNTY, REPEALING SONOMA COUNTY CODE SECTION 1-8, AND DIRECTING COUNTY STAFF TO MAINTAIN FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS THE COUNTY'S REDISTRICTING WEBSITE TO CONTINUE TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS AND THE REVISED BOUNDARIES.The Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, ordains as follows:Section I. Public Participation. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has taken steps above and beyond the requirements of Elections Code Section 21508 to engage the community and invite public participation in the supervisorial boundary redistricting process. The Board has encouraged residents, including those in underrepresented communities and non-English speaking communities, to participate in the redistricting public review process. These steps have included all of the following:Provided information to media organizations that provide county news coverage, including media organizations that serve language minority communities.Provided information through good government, civil rights, civic engagement, and community groups or organizations that are active in the county, including those active in language minority communities, and those that have requested to be notified concerning county redistricting.Arranged for live translation in Spanish at redistricting public hearings and workshops.The County retained a public outreach and local engagement consultant who performed 34 Community Engagement Opportunities (including 13 focus group sessions; 16 group or radio presentations; 3 Town Halls; 2 map drawing parties).On February 23, 2021, the Board established the Sonoma County Advisory Redistricting Commission (ARC) to advise and assist the Board with redrawing supervisorial district boundaries. The ARC had 19 members, comprised of two appointees per district and nine at-large members.On June 28, 2021, the ARC held its first public meeting to learn about redistricting and listen to public comment.On July 26, 2021, the ARC held another public meeting to continue to discuss the redistricting process and listen to public input.On August 23, 2021, the ARC held a public hearing to discuss redistricting, receive public input about communities of interest, and learn about mapping tools.On September l, 2021, the ARC held a meeting to consider the redistricting process, receive map-drawing training and listen to public feedback.On September 13, 2021, the ARC held a meeting to discuss equity.On September 15, 2021, the County held a Town Hall meeting to review the redistricting process and how the public can provide input.On October 5, 2021, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing to review the new census data and discuss the redistricting process.On October 18, 2021, the ARC held a duly noticed public meeting to consider draft supervisorial district maps.On October 18, 2021, the ARC held a duly noticed public meeting to consider draft supervisorial district maps.On October 22, 2021, the ARC held a duly noticed public meeting to discuss the draft maps and listen to public feedback.On October 25, 2021, the ARC held a duly noticed public meeting to discuss the draft maps, listen to public feedback and vote on a proposed supervisorial district map to present to the Board of Supervisors. The ARC recommended the Board continue to listen to public feedback and update the map to respond to continued community input and comply with federal and state laws.On November 2, 2021, the Board held a public hearing to consider the ARC's proposed map and recommendations.On November 16, 2021, the Board held a public hearing to consider proposed maps and continue to listen to public feedback.On November 22, 2021, County staff held a Town Hall meeting focused on the City of Rohnert Park's comments and to gather public input;On November 29, 2021, the Board held a public workshop to consider a proposed map and continue to listen to public input.On December 7, 2()21, the Board held a final public hearing to introduce, waive reading and consider adoption of an ordinance to adopt a new supervisorial district map.Section Il. Information Gathered. The Board has considered the 2020 federal census data, the ARC's recommendations, in addition to all of the other community input through the ARC process, as well as the Board's own public hearings, the public workshop and additional public comments. Additionally, the Board also retained a demographer, National Demographics Corporation, to analyze the population and demographic data. Since the release of the 2020 federal census data, the ARC and the Board have considered numerous variations of the supervisorial district boundaries to ensure the final version of the map satisfies the criteria of federal and state law. Based on that information and community input, the Board has developed the final revised County of Sonoma supervisorial district boundaries as specified and set forth in the map attached to this ordinance as Attachment A ("Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries").Section Ill. Findings. Based on the information gathered as set forth above, the Board makes the following findings:The Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries are based on the total population of residents of the county as determined by the 2020 federal decennial census;The Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries comply with the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Section 10301 et seq.);The Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries comply with California Elections Code Section 21500 because those boundaries have been developed in accordance with these criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:To the extent practicable, the supervisorial districts are geographically contiguous;To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of local neighborhoods and local communities of interest are respected in a manner that minimizes their division;To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of a city or census designated place is respected in a manner that minimizes its division;The Revised Supervisorial District Boundaries are easily identifiable and understandable by residents and to the extent practicable are bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the county;To the extent practicable, and where it does not conflict with the preceding criteria above, the Revised Supervisorial District Boundaries are geographically compact; andThe Revised Supervisorial District Boundaries have not been developed for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party.Communities of Interest. Based on public comment received during the Public Participation process set forth in Section I above, the Board has determined that the following are communities of interest as defined in Elections Code Section 21500(c)(2) because these are populations that share common social or economic interests that should be included within a single supervisorial district for purposes of effective and fair representation:Roseland has recently been annexed to the City of Santa Rosa and shares socioeconomic characteristics with Moorland; both areas represent a community of interest that should be included within a single supervisorial district that includes portions of the downtown area of Santa Rosa for purposes of effective and fair representation;Coastal communities share common interests and should remain within one supervisorial district for the purposes of effective and fair representation;Russian River communities share common social and economic interests and should remain within one supervisorial district for purposes of effective and fair representation;Coffey Park-Larkfield-Mark West-Wikiup community shares common interests and should remain within one supervisorial district for purposes of effective and fair representation;The Springs area (Eldridge, Fetters Hot Springs, Agua Caliente, Boyes Hot Springs) share common interests and should remain within one supervisorial district for purposes of effective and fair representation; andThe community within the Bennett Valley Area Plan, approved by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in Resolution No. 11-0461, on September 30, 2011, share common interests and should remain within one supervisorial district for purposes of effective and fair representation.Section IV. Adoption Procedures. California Elections Code Section 21500(e) allows the County to adopt supervisorial district boundaries by resolution or ordinance and clarifies that revised supervisorial district boundary adoption occurs on the date of passage of such ordinance or resolution. The Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries attached hereto as Attachment A have been posted on the County'sRedistricting website at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CAO/Policy-Grants-and-SpeciaIProjects/2021-Redistricting/for at least seven days prior to final adoption in compliance with Elections Code SectionSection V. Adoption of Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries. Based on the above findings and adoption procedures, the Board hereby determines that the Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries comply with all federal and state laws. Accordingly, the Board hereby adopts the Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries.Section VI. Posting on County's Redistricting Website. In compliance with Elections Code Section 21508(g), the Board directs County staff to maintain the County of Sonoma's Redistricting website at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CAO/Policy-Grants-and-Special-Projects/2021-Redistrictingfor at least 10 years after the adoption of new supervisorial district boundaries. The Board directs the County Administrator, or her designee, to prepare a written description of the Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries and post the written description on the County's Redistricting website. In addition, the web page shall include, or link to, all of the following information:A general explanation of the redistricting process for the county, in English, Spanish and any other applicable languages.The procedures for a member of the public to testify during a public hearing or to submit written testimony directly to the board, in English, Spanish and any other applicable languages.A calendar listing of all redistricting public hearing and workshop dates.The notice and agenda for each public hearing and workshop.The recording or written summary of each public hearing and workshop.Each draft map considered by the board at a public hearing.The adopted final map of supervisorial district boundaries."Applicable languages" means any language in which ballots are required to be provided in the county pursuant to Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Section 10503).Section VII. Repeal of Sonoma County Code Section 1-8. Historically SonomaCounty supervisorial districts have been described in Sonoma County Code Section 1-8. AB 1276 (approved by the Governor on September 18, 2020) and SB 594 (approved by the Governor on September 27, 2()21) modernize the methods in which a county must notify and engage its community about supervisorial boundary redistricting. Those updated procedures are included in this ordinance. The new state laws do not require the Supervisorial District Boundaries to be codified in the County Code. Accordingly, Sonoma County Code 1-8, Supervisorial districts described, is hereby repealed.Section VIII. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this Ordinance. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and every section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared unconstitutional or invalid.Section IX. The adoption of the Revised Sonoma County Supervisorial District Boundaries shall be and is hereby declared to be in full force and effect on the date of its passage on December 14, 2021 in accordance with Elections Code Section 21500(e), Elections Code Section 9235(a) and Government Code Section 25131. A summary of this ordinance shall be published at least once five days before adoption and at least once before the expiration of fifteen (15) days after said passage, with the names of the Supervisors voting for or against the same, in The Press Democrat, a newspaper of general circulation published in the County of Sonoma, State of California.In regular session of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, introduced on the 7th day of December, 2021, and finally passed and adopted this 14th day of December, 2021, on regular roll call of the members of said Board by the following vote:SUPERVISORS: Gorin: Aye Rabbitt: Aye Coursey: No Gore: Aye Hopkins: AyeAyes: 4 Noes: I Absent: O Abstain: O
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