San Bruno to introduce district map proposals

“Moving to by-district elections is a big change for the San Bruno community,” City Manager Jovan Grogan said in a press release. “The city is going above and beyond to make sure that our community is heard and feels empowered to participate in this historical process.”

The city is seeking input from the public relating to communities or neighborhoods with shared interests that would benefit from not being divided between districts. Community members are also encouraged to draw maps for submission using city-provided map-drawing software. The deadline for map submissions is Feb. 8 and the council plans to choose a final arrangement Feb. 22 followed by formal adoption March 8.

San Bruno is among hundreds of other cities across the state to make the switch to district-based election, spurred often by potential litigation related to the California Voting Rights Act. The act requires the votes of minority voters not be “diluted,” something that can happen during at-large elections, according to the law. Switching to districts can in some cases increase equitable representation by empowering constituents with shared interests to elect their representatives of choice.

To that end, districts should be drawn to create majority-minority districts if practical, per the law. Districts must follow certain criteria; population size between districts must not deviate by more than 10% and districts must be contiguous, meaning there can be no points of the same district that do not touch each other.

The first by-district election will occur this November when Vice Mayor Linda Mason and Councilmember Marty Medina will be up for reelection. Councilmembers Tom Hamilton and Michael Salazar will be up in 2024.

Voters will continue to elect their mayor at-large, independent from the rest of the City Council. San Bruno is currently the only city in the county to elect the mayor separate from the city council; other cities rotate the title between councilmembers every year or every other year. Half Moon Bay will hold an election for an at-large mayor in November 2022 after shifting to district elections for the rest of the council.

Vice Mayor Mason last year suggested the city adopt a rotating-mayor system. No formal action has been taken pertaining to the idea, however, other councilmembers did express interest in further exploring the option. The move would require five districts. Maps to be presented Tuesday will divide the city into four districts. 

For more information on the process, including links to map-drawing software and a schedule of events, go to DistrictingSanBruno.org. Navigate to the calendar and follow the Zoom link to participate in tonight’s virtual meeting.