AgdaPkt 2021.04.26 Joint SA FPA - Laserfiche WebLink

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8.B. - Page 3 of 8 According to the City's demographer, this option has never been utilized in the state, as most governmental agencies either utilize an ARC or IRC. Due to a variety of factors, the Census Bureau has delayed the release of the 2020 US Census PL94-171 redistricting data. The Bureau was required to release the data by March 31, 2021. The Bureau recently announced that it would make data available to states in a technical format by mid- to late- August, and in the more user-friendly format (PL94-171) by September 30, 2021. The State has announced it will use the data released in August to build the Statewide Database but that process will take an additional four to six weeks. As a result, census data will not be available to local jurisdictions like Redwood City until late September or early October. Nonetheless, this should provide the City sufficient time to adopt a new district map by the state -mandated deadline of April 17, 2022. Governance Sub -Committee Recommendation At their meeting, the Governance Sub -Committee considered all available redistricting options, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of each approach. All members indicated interest in forming a commission or committee and did not support a process driven entirely by the City Council. The Sub -Committee discussed the benefits of utilizing an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC; option 3 above); however, all members expressed concern about conducting a thorough recruitment of IRC members given the limited timeframe for completing redistricting. For comparison, the cities of Long Beach and Berkeley each took 6 to 8 months to select and seat their Independent Redistricting Commissions. As a result, the Governance Sub -Committee voted to recommend forming an Advisory Redistricting Committee (ARC; option 2 above) reflective of the diverse Redwood City community and tasking the ARC with collecting community testimony, drafting preliminary maps, and recommending a map to the City Council. One member shall be appointed from each of the City's seven City Council election districts for a total of seven appointed members, and four members shall be appointed at large. All appointments to the Committee will be made by a majority of the City Council, resulting in a total of 11 Committee members (Attachment A). Further, the Sub -Committee recommended the City and community members use the DistrictR online mapping tool to create draft maps, in addition to paper map options in English, Spanish and Mandarin that will be made available. If the City Council decides to move forward with an ARC, City staff is prepared to conduct a robust marketing and outreach campaign to recruit a diverse applicant pool with the goal having a representative cross section of the community. The application period would open Saturday, May 1, 2021 and remain open until 11:59 pm on Monday, May 31, 2021. The following timeline reflects activities required by the FAIR MAPS Act if the City proceeds with an Advisory Redistricting Committee (ARC). Page 3 of 6 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore 515