Pleasant Hill City Council Approves By-District Election Ordinance
PLEASANT HILL, CA (July 22, 2023) — At its July 17, 2023 meeting, the Pleasant Hill City Council approved an ordinance transitioning the City from an at-large election system to a by-district system and adopting a five-district electoral map to be used in future elections.
The City began the process of moving to by-district elections in March of this year. The City received written notice to transition to a district-based system pursuant to the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Under the CVRA, the City has 135 days after receiving the written notice to structure a district map providing communities of varying races and ethnicities a better opportunity for fair representation, or potentially face litigation.
The City Council held several hearings to discuss district drawing options. A City-hired demographer provided some draft maps. Members of the community submitted several maps as well. A total of 11 maps (featuring five-district and four-district plus an elected mayor configurations) met the criteria for electoral district maps.
After consideration, the City Council chose to adopt map #5 (pictured above). With the approval of the council, this map will take effect during the 2024 and 2026 election cycles. In 2024, voters will elect Council Members for Districts 1, 2, and 5. Voters will elect Council Members from Districts 3 and 4 in 2026. All elections will use the by-district system following 2026.
You can view Map 5 online at www.pleasanthillca.org/