Release of state census data triggers series of Sonoma County redistricting public meetings

With the recent release of the State of California-adjusted Census data, Sonoma County is gearing up for a series of redistricting public meetings over the next couple of months. These meetings will result in the prioritization of draft district maps and, ultimately, will lead to the adoption of a new district map by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

The way supervisorial districts are drawn determines how a community is represented in the halls of government. Sonoma County residents are highly encouraged to participate in the redistricting process and attend these meetings as new election lines will determine which communities are placed in each supervisorial district. Voters within each district will then be able to elect a county supervisor that best represents their community. 

The next redistricting meeting will be a Board of Supervisors public hearing on Oct. 5 at 9 a.m., which can be attended in-person or virtually. During this hearing, the County’s demographer will provide an overview of the redistricting process, review the legal criteria and Census data, and solicit input on communities of interest and encourage the submission of maps from the public. The County will also provide an update on outreach and engagement efforts, followed by closing remarks from the Advisory Redistricting Commission (ARC) Chair Ed Sheffield and Vice-Chair Ana Horta.

The remaining redistricting meetings include a mixture of ARC and BOS meetings and hearings as follows:

• Oct. 18, at 4 p.m.: ARC Meeting; introduction of draft maps
• Oct. 22, at 4 p.m.: ARC Meeting; public feedback on draft maps
• Oct. 25, at 4 p.m.: ARC Meeting; narrow/prioritize map options 
• Nov. 2, at 9 a.m.: BOS Public Hearing; review ARC focus maps
• Nov. 16, at 9 a.m.: BOS Public Hearing; preferred map and modifications 
• Dec. 7, at 9 a.m.: BOS Public Hearing; introduce an ordinance to adopt district map 
• Dec 14, at 8:30 a.m.: BOS Meeting; adopt ordinance/district map

Sonoma County residents have a variety of resources and feedback mechanisms available to them that can help shape the County’s supervisorial districts and the maps that will be presented to the ARC and Board of Supervisors. These include paper maps and online mapping tools that can be used to draw and submit district maps, as well as interactive maps that provide insights about the County through statistics and data. These mapping tools are available on the Draw a Map section of the County’s redistricting website so residents can access and provide detailed feedback at their convenience. Residents are encouraged to submit maps and insights by Oct. 15.

Meeting links and agendas also will be available on the County’s dedicated redistricting website at sonomacounty.ca.gov/redistricting. Other online resources include past meeting recordings, background information on redistricting and frequently asked questions. To sign up to receive updates about the redistricting process, future public meetings, ask questions or recommend a community group for the County to reach out to, please email Redistricting2021@sonoma-county.org.