Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: President David Canepa, District 5
Vice President Don Horsley, District 3
Subject: Forming and Appointing Advisory Redistricting Commission
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation to:
A) Form the 2021 Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Commission to consist of fifteen members and two alternates; and
B) Appoint the fourteen members and two alternates recommended by the League of Women Voters; and
C) Provide direction on appointing a final (15th) member; and
D) Provide additional direction to the Commission on the redistricting process as follows: it hold at least two introductory meetings prior to the release of the Census data, followed by a meeting sited in each existing district (five in total) and a final sixth meeting, at which a final map or maps will be recommended to the Board for approval; and
E) Provide additional direction to the Commission to complete its work by November 12, 2021 (or earlier, to the extent feasible); and
F) Delegate authority to the County Manager to replace any appointed members with an alternate in the event the County Manager determines in his discretion that any appointed member is unwilling or unable to meet the obligations of service and to modify the schedule and process as necessary and appropriate, including to extend the timelines if allowed by State law.
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BACKGROUND:
The Board established the County’s current Supervisorial districts in November 2013. To assist with the district-drawing process, the Board elected to form an advisory committee, the San Mateo County Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Committee, which consisted of two Board members (Supervisor Slocum and then-Supervisor Tissier), two elected city representatives (one from Daly City and one from East Palo Alto), and five public members, one from each Supervisorial district. The Committee held 10 public meetings, two in each district, before recommending three draft maps to the Board.
In prior cycles, the Board performed the redistricting processes itself, which has historically been the most common method around the State.
The Board must ensure the Supervisorial districts remain substantially equal in population-based data from the 2020 federal census. (Elec. Code, § 21500(a)). Under current law, the Redistricting must be completed and maps fully approved by December 15, 2021. However, the census data remains unavailable and is not expected to be ready until October 2021.
On January 26, 2021 the Board met and received a presentation from Staff and consultant National Demographics Corporation regarding the requirements of redistricting. The Board voted unanimously to use an advisory commission that would recommend district lines to the full Board and formed and appointed a Board subcommittee of Supervisors David Canepa and Don Horsley to make a recommendation on membership at a future meeting.
On February 9, 2021, the Board met again to consider the recommendations of the Board subcommittee and directed staff and the subcommittee to work with the League of Women Voters (if it agreed) and develop a process, by which the League of Women Voters would recommend a slate of Commission members to the Board.
DISCUSSION:
Following the February 9, 2021 meeting the Board subcommittee contacted chapters of the San Mateo County’s League of Women Voters (the “League”), which graciously agreed to consult on the recruitment process and recommend a slate of Commission members. The direction given to the League was that:
• Commissioners must be residents of San Mateo County.
• Elected officials (County, City, School and Special District) are not eligible to serve on the commission.
Further, the League was asked to have a selection process that would “prioritize applicants associated with good government, civil rights, civic engagement, and community groups or organizations that are active in the County, including those active in language minority communities, with the goal of forming a commission with membership that is geographically diverse and consistent with the County’s emphasis on valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Staff then conducted an extensive outreach campaign to encourage applicants, ultimately receiving sixty-five by the June 4th closing of the application period. All of the applications were forwarded to the League. The League then engaged in a vigorous selection process choosing approximately half of the best qualified applicants for interviews and conducted video interviews of the applicants. Neither the Board subcommittee nor County staff participated in that process.
Initially, the Board had intended a Commission of 11 members with two alternates. But based on the results of the initial selection process, the Board subcommittee advised that a Commission of 15 members, specifically with three members from each District and two alternates, would be appropriate and informed the League representatives, who supported the expansion to 15. However, based on the number of applications received and the interviews conducted, the League is recommending a slate of 14 members, with three members from each district with exception of District 4, as to which it is recommending 2 members. That current slate is as follows:
Members:
District 1
Nirmala Bandrapalli (Burlingame)
Nathan Chan (Millbrae)
Hermes Monzon Ruiz (South San Francisco)
District 2
Marcus Barber (San Mateo)
James Lawrence (Foster City)
Kailen Sallander (San Mateo)
District 3
Benj Azose (San Carlos)
Nadia Bledsoe Popyack (Moss Beach)
Marian Lee (San Carlos)
District 4
Mark Dinan (East Palo Alto)
Rudy Espinoza (Redwood City)
District 5
Rita Chow (Daly City)
Miguel Louis (Rudy) Guerrero (Daly City)
Priscilla Romero (Daly City)
Alternates:
David Chu (District 1) (Burlingame)
Mark Olbert (District 3) (San Carlos)
The Board subcommittee presents this slate as recommended by the League without modification and proposes that the Board approve it and discuss a plan for filling the remaining “District 4” Commission slot. The Board subcommittee further recommends that the Board delegate authority to the County Manager to replace any appointed members with an alternate in the event that the County Manager determines in his discretion that any appointed member is unwilling or unable to meet the obligations of service.
Further, the Board subcommittee recommends that the Board direct the newly formed Advisory Commission to hold at least two introductory meetings prior to release of the Census data, followed by a meeting sited in each existing District (five in total) and a final sixth meeting, at which a final map or maps will be recommended to the Board for approval. The Board further directs that the Commission complete its work by on or about November 12, 2021 or earlier, to the extent feasible. This schedule may be modified as necessary and appropriate as determined by the County Manager in consultation with the County Counsel.