AGENDA ITEM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CARLO TOMAINO
CITY MANAGER
BY: JOY POST
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
SUBJECT: FIRST PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER COMPOSITION OF DISTRICTS FOR BY-DISTRICT ELECTIONS
Summary:
At the August 11, 2026, meeting the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2026-08-6957 declaring its intention to transition to district-based elections. Pursuant to Elections Code Section 10010, the City is now conducting Public Hearings to receive community input regarding the composition of proposed electoral districts. On September 2, 2026, the City hosted a community workshop to provide the community with an introduction to the legal background of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and the districting process. The workshop included a demonstration of the mapping tools available to the public and an opportunity for attendees to draw district maps. The City Council must conduct two public hearings within a period of 30-days to receive public input regarding the potential composition of voting districts. This public hearing is the first of two required pre-map hearings. Staff scheduled the second pre-map hearing for September 22, 2026. Staff will schedule two additional public hearings on October 13, 2026, and October 27, 2026, to review the proposed maps.
Recommendation:
Staff recommends the City Council conduct the first public hearing, receive and consider input from the public, and provide further instruction to staff.
Fiscal Impact:
The fiscal impact of transitioning to by-district elections at this stage is expected to include costs related to expert demographer services and a settlement payment. As the process advances and additional details become available, a more detailed fiscal analysis will be presented in a subsequent report.
Background:
Residents currently elect its five-member City Council through an “at-large” election system in which each City Councilmember may reside anywhere in the community. Voters elect each member of the City Council to provide citywide representation; in contrast to a “by-district’ election system where the City is divided into geographical districts. Each Council candidate must reside in the district in which they will represent, and only voters within a given district vote for that district’s Councilmember.
On June 29, 2026, the City received a letter from Shenkman & Hughes on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Project. The letter claims the City’s at-large voting system dilutes the ability of Latino voters to elect candidates of their choice or to otherwise influence the outcome of City elections. As a result, Mr. Shenkman claims the City’s at-large elections violate the California Voting Rights Act (“CVRA”); this letter must be sent as a prerequisite to any lawsuit allegedly stemming from CVRA violations.
The California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)
The California Voting Rights Act, Elections Code Sections 14025-14032, provides a private right of action to members of any protected class where an at-large election system impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election. The CVRA allows for legal challenges to any at-large system, seeking a court order that a public agency convert to a by-district election system. A violation of the CVRA may be established if it can be shown that racially polarized voting has combined with an at-large voting system to impair the ability of a protected class of voters to elect candidates of its choice or to influence the outcome of an election.
A plaintiff may allege under the CVRA that a local public agency’s “at-large” electoral system results in prohibited discrimination against minority voters and, as a result, the defendant agency must transition to a by-district system to remedy that discrimination. Importantly, the CVRA does not require a plaintiff to show racial discrimination by the agency or other discriminatory intent. Due to the broad wording of the CVRA, to date no public entity has successfully defended itself against a CVRA challenge; some agencies have paid millions of dollars in plaintiffs’ attorney fees trying to do so.
In fact, close to 700 public agencies have transitioned from at-large to by-district elections after receiving CVRA threat letters. Following is a brief list of notable fee awards paid by cities who have challenged CVRA threat letters:
• Palmdale: $4.7 million
• Santa Clara: $3.8 million
• Modesto: $3 million
• Highland: $1.3 million
• Anaheim: $1.1 million
• Santa Monica: $10 million (requested to-date)
These amounts do not include costs of defense, which in many cases were also millions of dollars. Due to the fact that no public agency has prevailed in a CVRA challenge, and the likelihood of high attorneys’ fees, most public agencies have voluntarily transitioned to by-district elections without contesting the allegations of racially polarized voting and vote dilution strictly to avoid significant financial costs to the community. In summary, given the lack of clarity in the CVRA, cities voluntary transition to district elections not because they have actually violated the law but because the legal process created by the law establishes an opportunity for substantial financial jeopardy and loss of revenue to the community that most often outweighs the benefits of contesting the issue in court.
The Process for Transitioning Under the CVRA
The CVRA provides a defined process for transitioning to by-district elections in Elections Code Section 10010, including a very short timeline for doing so. The following section provides the basic steps of the districting process.
(1) Demand Letter and Response Period.
The first step in initiating the CVRA process is a prospective plaintiff sending a demand letter. Once that letter is sent, the prospective plaintiff cannot sue the City for at least 45 days from the City’s receipt of the letter. The 45th day from June 29, 2026, (the date the City received the letter) is Thursday, August 13, 2023.
(2) Resolution of Intention.
The City then has the option to voluntarily transition to by-district elections, beginning with the adoption of a resolution declaring its intention to transition from at-large to district-based elections. The resolution also addresses the steps the City will take to facilitate the transition, including an estimated schedule. Once the City Council adopted the Resolution of Intention, the process bars the prospective plaintiff from suing the City for at least 90 days from the date of the resolution’s adoption.
(3) Public Hearings Prior to Drawing of District Map.
An important step in the actual process of transitioning to district elections is preparing a draft district map. Before drawing a map, the City must hold at least two public hearings over a period of no more than 30 days at which the public must be invited to provide input regarding the district’s composition.
(4) District Map Drawing.
Based on City Council and community input, an expert will then prepare a proposed map or maps. Each district must be nearly equal in total population, using the data from the most recent census. The districts must be prepared in compliance with specific State and federal requirements, including considerations of contiguity, compactness, communities of interest, and natural geographic boundaries. Members of the community may also submit maps for consideration; all maps received will be made available to the public.
(5) Public Hearings for Map Consideration.
After the demographer prepares the draft maps, the City publishes and make them available to the public. The City must also show the staggered terms of office and the potential sequence of the elections. The City Council then holds at least two additional public hearings over a period of no more than 45 days during which the public will be invited to provide input regarding the draft maps and sequence of elections. The City must publish the first draft maps at least seven days before they are considered at a public hearing. If the map is revised at or during a hearing, it must be published again and made available to the public for at least seven days before being adopted.
(6) Timing and Sequence of Elections.
During this process the City Council will also need to establish the timing and sequence of district elections; the change to district boundaries will not affect the current at-large terms of any incumbents. Following the first election with the new district map, the City Council would be comprised of approximately half of its members elected by-district and approximately half of its members elected at-large.
(7) Map Adoption.
After selecting a map and choosing the timing and sequence of the election, the City Council would then adopt an ordinance providing for by-district elections, approve the map, and begin implementing by-district elections.
Analysis:
On September 2, 2026, the City held a community workshop where the National Demographics Corporation provided an informative introduction regarding the districting process. In addition to answering questions from the public, the demographer covered the legal basics of the CVRA and helped members of the public understand how to use the online map making tool. Staff has attached the presentation and other materials provided during the workshop (Attachments A through D). The community workshop provided the public with its first opportunity to learn more about the process and provide feedback. As discussed below, the four public hearings provide further opportunities for public engagement.
As noted earlier in this report, prior to adopting district-based elections, the City must first prepare a draft map or maps. Before drawing a map, the City must hold at least two public hearings over a period of no more than 30 days. As of the writing of this report, the City is currently in this initial phase of the process. The City is providing the public with opportunities to comment on the potential district boundaries and composition; tonight’s hearing is the first of the two pre-map hearings, with the second scheduled for September 22, 2026. The map drawing process begins after these initial two public hearings. The City Council will then define the criteria used to create one or more proposed district maps and present the draft map or maps for public comment and review in two subsequent public hearings.
The City’s demographer will subsequently provide the proposed maps at least seven days prior to each of these public hearings. The City must hold the third and fourth public hearings within 45 days of one another. During the two final hearings, the City Council must also determine the “sequencing” of the elections which means the City Council will decide which districts will first have elections on which dates. Staff scheduled the upcoming public hearings to take place in the City Hall in the City Council Chamber.
Staff has utilized its public communication channels to increase public awareness of the transition to district elections and promote community engagement. Staff also provided information on the City’s website at the following web address: www.cityofsignalhill.org. The website includes a link where residents can use an online mapping to create and submit maps.
Staff scheduled the next public hearing for the City Council to receive and consider input from the public concerning the composition of voting districts on September 22, 2026. Staff also encourages the public to provide input and feedback via email to districting@cityorsignalhill.org, to drop it off at City Hall or mail it to the City Clerk’s Office.
Reviewed for Fiscal Impact:
_________________________
Siamlu Cox
Attachment(s):
A. Public Participation Kit (PPK)
B. PPK: Districting 2026 Community Map
C. Community Workshop on Districting PowerPoint
D. City of Signal Hill District Formation Flyer