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<br />11 <br /> <br />Numerous school districts (135 districts) and cities (31 cities) throughout California have <br />changed to district elections to avoid or respond to costly legal challenges by residents <br />alleging that they are unable to elect officials that represent their community. In order to <br />consider whether a change to a by-district electoral system is warranted, additional <br />research and specialized assistance from a demographer would be needed and <br />community engagement would be appropriate. Moving from at-large elections to district <br />elections would require amending the City’s Charter. Changes to the Charter are <br />typically reviewed first by the Council’s Charter Review Subcommittee. <br /> <br />A second modification the Council may wish to consider is whether to adjust the <br />process for selecting the positions of Mayor and Vice Mayor, and the terms of these <br />position in light of moving to even year elections. Currently, the Charter establishes that <br />the positions of Mayor and the Vice Mayor are selected by their Council peers to serve <br />two year terms. There have been occasional Council requests to review how the Mayor <br />and Vice Mayor are selected and their tenure. As a Charter amendment would be <br />required to modify the tenure and selection process for the Mayor and Vice Mayor, the <br />council’s Charter Subcommittee would likely consider potential changes and make <br />recommendations to the Council. <br /> <br />Timing and Next Steps <br /> <br />A decision on how to comply with SB 415 is urgent, as the Council has three seats up <br />for election in November 2017. Candidate filing for these seats opens on July 17, 2017. <br />It would also be prudent to give potential Council candidates enough notice on whether <br />there will be a 2017 election or not, as candidates typically begin working on their <br />campaigns well in advance of the filing period. It is also important to notify the electorate <br />well in advance, as any election change directly impacts the voters. Furthermore, a <br />decision on how to comply with SB 415 will allow staff time to finalize the process of <br />changing terms and corresponding election cycles. <br /> <br />Regardless of which option the Council chooses in order to comply with SB 415, the <br />City Council will be required to adopt an ordinance to consolidate future elections to <br />statewide election dates. The ordinance would be effective upon Council approval, but <br />not operative until approved by the Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County. <br />Therefore, the ordinance must be sent to the Board of Supervisors and Elections Official <br />of San Mateo County, along with a resolution requesting that the election be <br />consolidated. Within 30 days after approval of the ordinance by the Board of <br />Supervisors, the City Clerk will be required to mail a notice to all registered voters in the <br />city (41,049 registered voters) informing them of the change in the election date. The <br />notice will also need to inform voters of any change in the terms of current elected <br />officials resulting from the change in the election date, per the requirements of Elections <br />Code Section 10403.5. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />8.B. - Page 11