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1. What is districting?

It is the regular process of determining the lines of voting districts in accordance with population shifts. In California, public agencies and other organizations must divide the lines of their districts according to the results of the Decennial Census, so that each council district is substantially equal in population. This ensures that each elected official represents about the same number of constituents. All district lines must be reviewed to meet strict requirements for population equality and voting rights protections in accordance with the federal Voting Rights Act and the California Elections Code.

2. What are by-district elections?

A by-district election process means voters within a designated City Council electoral district elect one City Council member who must also reside in and be a registered voter of that district.

3. What is the City's current City Council election process?

The City of Laguna Hills currently elects City Council members through an at-large election process, which means that each voter has a vote to elect each member of the City Council.

4. What is “racially polarized” voting?

Racially polarized voting exists when voters of different racial or ethnic groups exhibit very different candidate preferences or voting practices in an election.

5. What criteria are used to create City Council electoral districts?

Many factors may be considered, but population equality is required. Other factors include:

1.   Federal Laws

• Equal Population (based on total population of residents as determined by the most recent Federal decennial Census and adjusted by the State to reassign incarcerated persons to the last known place of residence)
• Federal Voting Rights Act
• No Racial Gerrymandering

2.   California Criteria for Cities (to the extent practicable and in the following order of priority)

• Geographically contiguous (areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous. Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge, tunnel, or ferry service are not contiguous.
• Undivided neighborhoods and “communities of interest” (Socio-economic geographic areas that should be kept together for purposes of its effective and fair representation)
• Easily identifiable boundaries
• Compact (Do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people)
• Prohibited: “Shall not favor or discriminate against a political party.”

3.   Other Traditional Redistricting Principles

• Minimize voters shifted to different election years
• Respect voters’ choices / continuity in office
• Future population growth

6. What are Communities of Interest?

A community of interest is a “contiguous population that shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.” They are the overlapping sets of neighborhoods, networks, and groups that share interests, views, cultures, histories, languages, and values and whose boundaries can be identified on a map. The following elements help define communities of interest:

• shared interests in schools, housing, community safety, transit, health conditions, land use, environmental conditions, and/or other issues;
• common social and civic networks, including churches, mosques, temples, homeowner associations, and community centers, and shared use of community spaces, like parks and shopping centers;
• racial and ethnic compositions, cultural identities, and households that predominantly speak a language other than English;
• similar socio-economic status, including but not limited to income, home-ownership, and education levels;
• shared political boundary lines from other jurisdictions, such as school districts, community college districts, and water districts

7. What if I have questions or want to voice my opinion throughout this process?

Please contact us if you have any questions or need help understanding the process.  You can email us at districting@lagunahillsca.gov . We encourage the public to reach out to us, we need your input.  Input can also be given during the public hearing portion of the City Council meetings.  

8. What do the common acronyms in districting mean?

• ACS: American Community Survey
• CDP: Census Designated Place
• CDR: Center for Democracy Research
• CVAP: Citizen Voting Age Population
• CVRA: California Voting Rights Act
• FAIR MAPS Act: Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions (applies to cities and counties)
• NH: Non-Hispanic 
• P.L. 94-171: Public Law 94-171
• ROV: Registrar of Voters
• SWDB: California Statewide Database
• VAP: Voting age population