(Press Release – City of Davis) –The City of Davis announced today that it has started outreach efforts for the city governance conversion to district elections scheduled for November 2020.
The City currently elects its Council Members through an at-large election system. This means that each Council Member can reside anywhere in the City and is elected by the registered voters of the entire City.
In a district election system, the City is divided into separate geographic districts. Each Council Member is elected by the registered voters of the particular district in which the Council Member resides. Voters do not vote for candidates outside their district.
Over the last several years, cities, school districts, and community college districts throughout the State have been changing from at-large to by-district elections to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and/or to avoid litigation.
As part of the district election process, the City is asking for community input on individuals’ “Communities of Interest.” A Community of Interest (COI) is any cohesive group of people that live in a geographically definable area and should be considered as a potential voting bloc in current or future elections.
There are some Communities of Interest that are considered “protected classes” in that they have rights through state or federal civil rights or voting rights laws. Some examples of protected classes in districting would be ethnic and racial minorities, such as a concentration of Latinx, Asian or African American people. Protected classes can be described through public input, and there are federal databases that must be used wherever applicable to define these areas and make sure that they are not being harmed by the district boundaries.
There are other Communities of Interest that can also be considered in districting. Examples are senior citizens, a group of college students living in a densely populated area near a campus, 
people who live in the downtown area or a specific neighborhood, or even people who share concerns, such as parents with young children, bicycle enthusiasts, a topic interest group, etc.
Residents may complete the online Community of Interest form on the city website www.cityofdavis.org/districts, or pick up and drop off a hard copy to City Hall, City Manager’s Office, 23 Russell Blvd. Comments can be emailed to districts@cityofdavis.org.
The schedule for outreach meetings is as follows:
Tuesday, September 3
Public Hearing at City Council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at City Hall, 23 Russell Boulevard. Actions: Receive general input, identify communities of interest, and consider district criteria.
Tuesday, September 10
Public Hearing at City Council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at City Hall, 23 Russell Boulevard. Actions: Receive general input, identify communities of interest, and consider district criteria.
Saturday, September 21
Community Workshops at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street. Drop by any time between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. There will be presentations on the process at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 8
Public Hearing at City Council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at City Hall, 23 Russell Boulevard. Action: Initial draft of district maps will be reviewed.
Tuesday, October 22
Public Hearing at City Council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at City Hall, 23 Russell Boulevard. Action: Council to select district maps.
Tuesday, November 5
Public Hearing at City Council meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at City Hall, 23 Russell Boulevard. Action: Council to adopt ordinance establishing district elections.
The City encourages residents to attend a public meeting and offer comments.
Scary.
Read the worksheet (I have). The answer to the question, “Are you a Davis resident?” is optional.
So, the input could come from Republicans from Iowa, folk living in Russia (who want to influence elections), trolls from anywhere, etc., and be weighed equally with folk who have lived in Davis for a month, folk who have live in Davis for 40-50 years, etc.
But, it is what it is.
For me, the only “community of interest” is Davis. But ‘creative writing’ was never one of my strong suits. The worksheet is an exercise in creative writing.
There are people who live in adjacent areas – UC Davis, El Macero, etc. that might have some interest in this even if they are not residents.
Got it… representation without taxation… a time honored tradition.
Guess we should let them vote for CC as well…
Some of us are taxed and wish to have input, even though we don’t vote here.
And their input will be weighed equally with that of Davis residents, as the worksheet stands…
Heck, with no name required, folk from UCD and El Macero can send in 10- 20 worksheets apiece! Great deal!
I see no issue with non-resident input, but the final decisions should be made based on the impacts on residents.
I hear Russia is visible from Alaska.
Bill – You are over-thinking this. It’s one step in the process of gathering input on communities of interest. One doesn’t have to live in Davis to have input that might be pertinent. People who live outside the city limits (e.g., Don Shor), former residents, UCD students, local workers, etc. may have local knowledge and may provide helpful input. It’s not a vote. It’s not determinative of the final outcome; so, you don’t have to worry about ballot box stuffing. (Not sure what you’d suggest for verifying residence, in any event. I suppose if the form were mailed in with a Leningrad postmark, you might give it less weight. I’m guessing this won’t be as much of a problem as you fear.)
Why don’t we adopt a Free Representation system?
In a Free Representation, each voter can either vote by themselves, or choose a representative to vote for them. Each voter can select or change their representative at-will online. Anyone can be a representative (if a voter selects you as their representative, then you are a representative). A representative can see how many supporters they have. When a representative votes, all the supporters vote the same way.
To vote on “local issues”, it is required that the original voter belongs to the community. But there is no limit to where the representative lives.
Since voters can change their representative anytime, “election” is effectively on-going. With additional 21st Century democracy implementations, there is no actual need for a “Mayor”. But for backward-compatibility, a representative that gets the most supporters is the “Mayor.”
Computerized details: A voter can select more than one representative and group them to represent different issue categories.
Pro: Your representative ALWAYS represents you. If they no longer represent your view, you can change it anyone at anytime. OR you can just represent yourself.
Con: Who is the Mayor? Who cares.
Survey companies without brain matter, another time honored tradition.