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7.A. - Page 1 of 7 <br />/<;iik <br />Redwood <br />CitylCallifornia <br />wended 1967 <br />A&/ <br />DATE: November 19, 2018 <br />SUBJECT <br />STAFF REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br />Second public hearing to receive community input regarding the creation of a district -based City Council <br />election system <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />1) Receive a report from staff on the districting process and permissible criteria to be considered to create <br />district boundaries; and <br />2) Conduct a public hearing to receive public input on district boundaries. <br />STRATEGIC INITIATIVE <br />Government Operations <br />BACKGROUND <br />On September 24, 2018, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 15704 initiating the process to transition <br />from an at -large election system to a district -based election system. A key reason that the City is <br />proceeding with district -based elections is the threat of significant litigation under the California Voting <br />Rights Act (CVRA). Faced with potentially hundreds -of -thousands, or even millions, of dollars in legal fees <br />and damages (as some cities have experienced), the City decided to voluntarily proceed with transitioning <br />to district -based elections. This allows the City to retain its own ability to determine and adopt an <br />appropriate district map instead of having the risk of a court doing so. <br />The City has established a timeline for conducting a public process to solicit public input and testimony on <br />proposed district -based electoral maps (Attachment 1). The timeline includes the dates for the five <br />required public hearings. The City must complete the transition process within 90 days after the adoption <br />of the initial resolution to cap the prospective plaintiff's attorneys' fees at $30,000. Additionally, a <br />prospective plaintiff may not bring a CVRA lawsuit within 90 days after passage of the resolution and Mr. <br />Shenkman and the City mutually agreed to extend that safe harbor to March 31, 2019. This allows the City <br />to retain its own ability to determine and adopt an appropriate district map instead of having the risk of <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcitV.org <br />125 <br />