News Release and Links to November 16, 2021 Council Meeting

11/15/2021: City Council to Consider Converting from an At-Large Method of Election to a By-District System - NEWS RELEASE IN PDF

MONTEREY CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER CONVERTING FROM AN AT-LARGE METHOD OF ELECTION TO A BY-DISTRICT SYSTEM FOR CITY COUNCILMEMBERS

At its meeting on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, the City Council will consider adopting a Resolution of Intention to convert from the current at-large method of electing City Councilmembers to a by-district system. A proposed resolution would not change the structure of the City Council; instead it would start the process to implement a district based election system where the City is divided into separate geographical areas of equal population, composed of voters residing within the district which elect a representative who also resides within the district. With Council approval, City staff is required to complete the process by early February 2022.

The City Council is considering this conversion in response to a letter received September 25, 2021 from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), District 12 (Monterey, San Benito, and Merced counties), to switch to district-based elections.

The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (“CVRA”) was enacted to implement the California constitutional guarantees of equal protection and the right to vote. (Elections Code section 14031.) Although the CVRA is based on the federal Voting Rights Act, it. expands the protections provided under federal law. Should the City Council vote to adopt the Resolution of Intention to Transition from At-Large to District Based Elections, the City will hold a minimum of five (5) public hearings and conduct an extensive public engagement process over a 90-day period to gather input on communities of interest, and how councilmember districts should be defined, drawn, and adopted. Public hearings and information about the districting process would also be available in Spanish. (See Key Dates section at right. Schedule is subject to change.)

• Agenda Item 15, Resolution of Intent - Report in English | Spanish
• Agenda Item 16, Presentation of Districting Process - Report in English | Spanish
• Draft Resolution in English | Spanish
• Agenda is posted at isearchmonterey.org | Direct Link
• Watch for more information published here, and subscribe to City Focus to receive the City's quarterly newsletter as well as weekly emails on topics of interest.
• A news release will be posted on Monday, November 15, 2021 at monterey.org/newsroom

The Monterey City Council invites and encourages public participation at its meetings. Requests for language interpretation may be made by contacting the City Clerk at cityclerk@monterey.org or (831) 646-3935. The City Clerk will make every effort to accommodate requests for interpreter assistance. Requests should be made as soon as possible in advance of any meeting of the City Council. The City is committed to addressing language interpretation requests swiftly in order to maximize public participation.

El Consejo Municipal de Monterey invita y alienta la participación del público en sus reuniones. Se puede solicitar interpretación de idiomas comunicándose con el secretario de la ciudad a cityclerk@monterey.org o (831) 646-3935. El secretario de la ciudad hará todo lo posible para adaptarse a las solicitudes de asistencia de interpretación. Las solicitudes deberían hacerse lo antes posible antes de cualquier reunión del Consejo Municipal. La Ciudad se compromete a atender las solicitudes de interpretación de idiomas con rapidez para maximizar la participación del público.