The City of Santa Paula is launching its first City Council district formation process, with the first of four public hearings scheduled to take place on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. during its regular City Council Meeting at the Santa Paula Council Chambers.
Currently, all Santa Paula residents vote for all five City Council Members. Once the district formation process is complete, the City will move to by-district elections, which will replace the current system of at-large citywide elections. Beginning in 2024, the City will be divided into five separate districts and voters will vote for one City Council Member who lives in their district.
To ensure each district has roughly the same number of residents, local governments use data from the Census to guide the establishment of districts. Members of the Santa Paula community are encouraged to participate in the districting process to ensure district lines respect neighborhoods, history, and geographic elements.
Residents can get involved by attending public hearings and community workshops, sharing their thoughts on communities that should be kept together in a single district, submitting a map of proposed district lines, attending the public hearings, and eventually providing feedback on other draft maps drawn by the community and National Demographics Corporation, the City’s professional demographer.
As required by law, the City of Santa Paula will hold four public hearings:
- August 3, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. – First Public Hearing, Santa Paula Council Chambers
- August 17, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. – Second Public Hearing, Santa Paula Council Chambers
- January 18, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. – Third Public Hearing, Santa Paula Council Chambers
- February 15, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. – Fourth Public Hearing, Santa Paula Council Chambers
In addition, the City is hosting community workshops to give residents an opportunity to learn more about the tools available to draw maps, ensure their community is fairly represented and connect with others engaged in the district formation process.
- September 14, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. – Cultural Arts Building, Community Center, 530 W. Main Street
- January 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. – Youth Center, Las Piedras Park, 431 N. 13th Street
To help share information about the district formation process, gather maps drawn by the public, and collect public feedback, the City of Santa Paula has launched a dedicated district formation website: DrawSantaPaula.org. The website includes background information about district formation, a schedule outlining public meetings and deadlines, frequently asked questions, resources for drawing maps, and more information on how to get directly involved in the district formation process. As the process moves forward in the coming months, Santa Paula will continue to update the website to include additional information on upcoming meetings and events.
To learn more about the district formation process, check out this quick educational video.