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<br />1 <br /> <br />REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br /> <br />January 23, 2017 <br /> <br />SUBJECT <br />Adopt Ordinance Amending Municipal Code Section 2.27.6 to Adjust City of Redwood <br />City Elections to Even Years to Adhere to the California Voter Participation Rights Act <br />(California State Senate Bill 415) <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION <br /> <br />Waive first reading and introduce an Ordinance amending Section 2.27.6 of the <br />Redwood City Municipal Code regarding General Municipal Elections. Two ordinances <br />to adhere to Senate Bill (SB) 415 are provided for City Council consideration: <br /> <br />· Option A: Move to even year elections by extending the terms of each existing <br />Council member by an additional 12 months, moving the November 2017 <br />election to November 2018, and the November 2019 election to November 2020. <br />This would result in all even year elections by 2020 <br /> <br />· Option B: Move to even year elections by holding an election in 2017 for a five- <br />year City Council member term, and holding an election in 2019 for a five-year <br />City Council member term, with subsequent elections being for four year terms. <br />This would result in all even year elections by 2024 <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />The “California Voter Participation Rights Act” Senate bill 415 (SB 415), was adopted to <br />address waning civic engagement due to declining voter turnout in local elections. SB <br />415 requires local agencies with significant low voter turnout to change their elections to <br />even-year statewide elections (e.g. Presidential, Gubernatorial) to improve voter <br />turnout. Based on the City’s historical average voter turnout at odd-year municipal <br />elections compared to even-year statewide elections, the City is mandated to comply <br />with SB 415. The average voter turnout for the City’s last four statewide elections (even <br />years) was 68.7 percent, while for the last four odd year municipal elections it was 25.6 <br />percent. In the most recent statewide election, November 2016, the City of Redwood <br />City had a voter turnout of 83 percent. SB 415 requires that a plan be in place by Jan. 1, <br />2018 to change odd-year election cycles to a statewide even-year schedule. The plan <br />must be implemented by November 2022. <br />8.B. - Page 1