HomeMy WebLinkAbout17-27 CC Resolution RESOLUTION NO. 17-27
' A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING CRITERIA
FOR SINGLE-MEMBER VOTING DISTRICTS FOR THE
ELECTION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Temecula ("City") was elected
under an "at-large" election system where Council Members were elected by voters of
the entire City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council is considering a change to "by-district' elections
where each Council Member must reside within the designated district boundary and is
elected only by the voters in that district; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Voting Rights Act (42 U.S.C. section 1973) prohibits
the use of any voting qualification, or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or
procedure, in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement of the right of any
citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color; and
WHEREAS, federal law and the Equal Protection Clause require that each
district be equal in population to ensure compliance with the `one person, one vote"
' rule; however, deviations of less than a total of ten percent [10%] are presumptively
valid under the Equal Protection Clause where required to meet an official criteria; and
WHEREAS, the Council has instructed its City Attorney, City Clerk, and
demographer to develop draft maps that fully comply with legal requirements and
desires to provide official criteria for any needed population deviations.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TEMECULA,
RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1 . The following criteria is hereby adopted to guide the establishment
of five districts for City Council elections, where each Council Member must reside
within the designated district boundary and is elected only by the voters in that district:
1. Each council district shall contain a nearly equal population as required by
law; and
2. Each council district shall be drawn in a manner that complies with the
Federal Voting Rights Act and the California Voting Rights Act; and
3. No council district shall be drawn with race as the predominate factor in
violation of the principles established by the United States Supreme Court
' in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993), and its progeny; and
Resos 17-27 1
4. Each council district shall consist of contiguous territory in as compact
' form as possible; and
5. Each council district shall respect communities of interest as much as
possible; and
6. Each council district border shall follow visible natural and man-made
geographical and topographical features as much as possible; and
7. Each council district shall attempt to avoid head-to-head contests between
incumbent Council members insofar as this does not conflict with federal
or state law; and
8. Council districts known to be areas of higher-than-average population
growth in the two to five years following this boundary line adjustment may
be under populated within the population deviation amounts allowed by
law.
Section 2. The City Attorney and City Clerk shall be authorized to clarify these
general line drawing criteria so long as such changes are consistent with all
requirements of law.
' Section 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this
resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of
Temecula this gch day of May, 2017.
(—Maryann Edwards, Mayor
ATTEST:
Randi J , Clerk
[SEAL]
Resos 17-27 2
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss
CITY OF TEMECULA )
I, Randi Johl, City Clerk of the City of Temecula, do hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution No. 17-27 was duly and regularly adopted by the City Council of the City of
Temecula at a meeting thereof held on the gch day of May, 2017, by the following vote:
AYES: 5 COUNCIL MEMBERS: Comerchero, Naggar, Rahn, Stewart,
Edwards
NOES: 0 COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSTAIN: 0 COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: 0 COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
Randi Johl, City Clerk
Resos 17-27 3