HomeMy WebLinkAboutCA District-Based City Elections
____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
File No.: 9-4 (DE)
Council Meeting: 4/02/2018
Disposition: Ord. 1956 passed to print; selected Map 3B; adopted election sequence
Agenda Item No: 6.a
Meeting Date: April 2, 2018
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: CITY ATTORNEY
Prepared by: Lisa Goldfien,
Assistant City Attorney
City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: DISTRICT-BASED CITY ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER DRAFT MAPS SHOWING ALTERNATIVES FOR
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CITY VOTING DISTRICTS AND ORDINANCE
ESTABLISHING A BY-DISTRICT ELECTION PROCESS IN FOUR COUNCIL
DISTRICTS PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CODE § 10010 &
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE §§ 34871(C) & 34886
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Hold a public hearing to receive public comment concerning the alternative draft maps prepared
by the City’s demographer and by the public showing how the four City Council electoral
districts might be drawn, as well as the sequence of elections for Council seats; and
2. Select one of the published district maps and pass to print the attached ordinance establishing a
by-district election process for four council districts according to the selected map.
BACKGROUND:
In 2002, the Legislature enacted the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) (Elec. Code §§14025 –
14032), which prohibits California public agencies from imposing or applying an at-large election
method “that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to
influence the outcome of an election.” (Elec. Code §14027) A protected class is defined by the CVRA
as “a class of voters who are members of a race, color, or language minority group, as this class is
referenced and defined in the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
The CVRA defines an at-large method of election to include the election method used by the City of
San Rafael, in which the voters of the entire City elect all the members of the City Council. In a lawsuit
brought pursuant to the CVRA, a plaintiff who establishes a history of “racially polarized voting” under a
city’s at-large election system can require a city to change to a district-based election system.
On November 20, 2017 the City received a letter from Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman, on behalf of
his client Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, urging the City to change its at-large voting
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
system to a district-based voting system, asserting that “San Rafael’s at-large system dilutes the ability
of Latinos (a ‘protected class’) - to elect candidates of their choice or otherwise influence the outcome
of San Rafael’s council elections.” Receipt of this letter started a 45-day timeline for the City “to pass a
resolution outlining its intention to transition from at-large to district-based elections, specific steps it will
undertake to facilitate this transition, and an estimated time frame for doing so.” (Elec. Code §10010.)
After several public hearings in November and December 2017 and on January 16, 2018 concerning
whether the City should change to a district-based election system, the City Council voted unanimously
on January 16, 2018 to adopt Resolution No. 14453 (Attachment 3), expressing the City Council’s
intention to transition to district-based elections for the City’s four City Council seats, starting with the
election of November 3, 2020, and setting forth a timeline for that process.
The City Council’s adoption of Resolution No. 14453 gives the City an additional 90 days, or through
April 16, 2018, to hold at least five public hearings and officially adopt an ordinance establishing the
boundaries of, and the sequence of elections for, the four new election districts. During this time period,
the City cannot be sued for a violation of the CVRA. The first two hearings, to receive public input
regarding the composition of the districts, were held on February 5, 2018 and February 20, 2018. On
February 20, 2018, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 14468, providing guidelines for the
preparation of draft district maps. (Attachment 4.)
On February 26, 2018, the City published a notice in the Marin IJ advising of the availability on that date
of draft maps on the City’s website at https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/draft-maps/ and in the City Clerk’s
office. On that date six draft maps were published and made available for public co nsideration, namely
maps labeled “Green”, “Purple” and “Orange” that were prepared by the City’s demographic
consultant, National Demographics, Inc. (“NDC”), and three other maps, labeled “Tan”, “Olive”, and
“Violet” that were prepared and submitted by members of the public.
March 5, 2018 Council meeting: This was the third of five public hearings required prior to adoption of
an ordinance establishing the four City voting districts. That meeting was held to allow the Council and
the public to consider any draft district maps that had been timely published for that meeting. By
statute, only maps published at least seven days prior to the meeting (February 26, 2018) were eligible
for consideration at the meeting; accordingly, the public hearing centered on the “Green”, “Purple”,
“Orange”, “Tan”, “Olive”, and “Violet” maps. The Council received public comment on the maps,
and also approved creation of a City Council ad-hoc subcommittee, consisting of Councilmember Colin
and Mayor Phillips, to study the draft maps. A new map designated “Canal 1” was submitted during the
meeting, and was published that evening. Comments received from the public concerning the borders
of the proposed districts included the following:
• The City should try to keep the East San Rafael business district within in a single distri ct, such
as by extending District 4 along the 580 freeway to the Richmond Bridge. Similarly, other
“economic zones” would benefit from being contained within a single district.
• Bahia Vista school should be included in District 4.
March 12, 2018 Council study session: The City Council held a study session in the Council Chambers
to allow for further discussion of the “Green”, “Purple”, “Orange”, “Tan”, “Olive”, and “Violet”
maps, as well as a new map designated “Canal 1” that had been timely submitted and published on
March 5, 2018. At the study session, the Mayor reported that the ad-hoc subcommittee had met, and
stated that the subcommittee’s recommendation was to use the “Canal 1” map, with some
modifications as follows:
• Expand District 4 to the West to encompass all of Bret Harte;
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3
• Eliminate the extension of District 4 along the Lincoln corridor north of downtown by moving the
northern border of District 4 down to Second Street.
• Include Bahia Vista school and the Albert J. Boro Community Center in District 4.
The Mayor also noted his preference to designate Districts “1”, “2”, “3,” and “4,” as the Northern,
Eastern, Western, and Southern Districts, respectively.
The demographer tried out several variations on published maps as requested by the City Co uncil, and
after all public comment, the City Council asked the demographer to prepare/publish three revised
maps as follows:
• The subcommittee’s recommended variation on the “Canal 1” map, where all of Bret Harte is
included in District 4/Southern and the northern border of District 4/Southern is moved south
from Los Ranchitos Road to Second Avenue. The City’s demographer prepared and published
this map on the City’s website on March 12, 2018 after the study session, designated as
“District Elections 1”. Additionally, on this map, the border between Districts 3/Western and
2/Eastern is Highway 101, and a majority of the border between Districts 3/Western and
4/Southern is along Martens Blvd. and Southern Heights Blvd.
• A variation on the subcommittee recommendation (now called “District Elections 1”) where the
Spinnaker Pt./Baypoint Lagoon neighborhoods are included in District 4/Southern. The
demographer prepared and published this map on March 12, 2018, designated as “District
Elections 2”. Additionally, on this map, the border of between Districts 3/Western and
2/Eastern is Lincoln Avenue, and the border between Districts 3/Western and 4/Southern is
along Lindaro Street, Glen Avenue, Pearce Road, and Southern Heights Blvd.
• A variation on the “Canal 1” map that includes the Spinnaker Pt./Baypoint Lagoon
neighborhoods in District 4/Southern, but keeps more of North San Rafael (north of Puerto
Suello Hill) together in District 1/Northern. The demographer prepared and published this map
on March 12, 2018, designated as “Canal 2”. Additionally, on this map the border between
Districts 3/Western and 4/Southern is moved to Woodland Avenue where it was shown along
Duffy Place and Irwin Street on the “Canal 1” map, and the border between Districts 1/Northern
and 4/Southern is moved south to Fair Drive from where it was shown on Los Ranchitos Road.
In addition, a map was submitted to the demographer on March 11, 2018 by San Rafael resident Bill
Carney. This map, designated as “Carney 1,” was published on the City’s website on March 12, 2018,
but was not discussed specifically at the study session.
March 19, 2018 Council meeting: This was the fourth required public hearing, for the public and the City
Council to consider draft maps. The Council had before it eleven maps published on or before March
12, 2018, namely, the maps designated as “Green”, “Purple”, “Orange”, “Tan”, “Olive”, “Violet”,
“Canal 1”, “Canal 2”, “Carney 1”, “District Elections 1”, and “District Elections 2”.
Prior to the public comment period, the Mayor explained that he had been considering some new
revisions to the “Canal 1” map and asked the demographer to make those revisions to the “Canal 1”
map in real time at the meeting. Explaining his objective to keep the City’s neighborhoods (as shown in
the General Plan) as intact as possible, the Mayor described the revisions he proposed included:
• Expanding further to the west the part of the Southern District along the Lincoln Avenue corridor
so as to include the entire Lincoln Avenue Homeowners’ Association
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 4
• Including the Bahia Vista School in the Southern District
• Keeping the Bret Harte neighborhood together in the Western District
Vice-Mayor Gamblin pointed out, and Councilmember Colin agreed, that he would prefer that the
“Canal 1” map be revised to show the southern border of the Northern District along Gallinas
Creek/SMART rail line, so as to keep Terra Linda unified. Mayor Phillips indicated that he also
intended to recommend that change as part of his revisions. Councilmembers McCullough and Bushey
noted their view that the Spinnaker and Baypoint neighborhoods seemed to be integral to the Southern
District. During the public hearing, the demographer was able to show the Mayor’s proposed changes
to the “Canal 1” map.
After receiving public comment, the Council asked the demographer to formalize a map along the lines
suggested by the Mayor, and another similar map in which the Spinnaker and Baypoint neighborhoods
would be included in the Southern District rather than in the Eastern District. Both new maps,
designated as “Canal 3A” and “Canal 3B”, respectively, were published on the City’s website on
March 26, 2018. Because the Spinnaker and Baypoint neighborhoods were included in the Southern
District in the “Canal 3B” map, other modifications also had to be made to the map to balance the
population such as reducing the width of the Southern District along the US 101 corridor north of Laurel
Place and expanding the Southern District slightly more into the Bret Harte neighborhood. The Council
also agreed to narrow to five the group of draft maps they felt would be their primary focus at the April
2, 2018 meeting, namely, the “Canal 1”, “Canal 2”, “District Elections 2”, “Canal 3A”, and “Canal 3B”.
Additionally, the City Manager met with Councilmember Colin and discussed with the demographer an
additional map she was interested in seeing that would be a variation on elements of the “Canal 3A”
map, in that it would narrow the portion of the Southern District along the Lincoln Corridor but, like
“Canal 3B”, would expand the Southern District more into part of the Bret Harte neighborhood. The
demographer prepared that map as well, designating it as “Canal 3A1”.
“Canal 3A”, “Canal3B”, and “Canal 3A1” were all published on March 26, 2018, in time to be
considered at tonight’s meeting.
ANALYSIS:
Tonight’s meeting is the f ifth required public hearing, and is another opportunity for the public and the
City Council to consider draft maps. Per the Council’s directive, the intention of this meeting is to focus
on the five maps selected at the March 19 meeting, “Canal 1”, “Canal 2”, “District Elections 2”, “Canal
3A”, and “Canal 3B”, and the new “Canal 3A1” requested by Councilmember Colin. It should be noted,
however, that all published maps may be considered during the public hearing.
If after the public hearing, the City Council is able to settle on one of these maps as showing the
optimal arrangement of the four Council districts and proposed election sequence, the Council may
move forward with formalizing the establishment of the districts. The final step in the process of
establishing a district-based election system in San Rafael is the adoption of an ordinance establishing
the boundaries of the districts and the sequence of elections for those districts, beginning with the next
general municipal election in November 2020. Staff has prepared an appropriate ordinance to which
the Council-selected district map must be attached. (Attachment 2.) If the Council acts tonight to pass
the ordinance to print, it will come back to the Council for final adoption on April 16, 2018.
Since April 16, 2018 is the final day to adopt the ordinance in compliance with the statutory timeline,
deferring adoption of the ordinance beyond that date will expose the City to the possibility of a lawsuit
filed by Mr. Shenkman’s client.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 5
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
The City is partnering with community groups to communicate information throughout San Rafael. A
website, https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/district-elections/ has been created to provide information
about the topic, a schedule of meetings, and an online form for public feedback. Meetings have been
announced via the City’s website, email notifications, the City Manager’s newsletter, and via social
media. The City Council considered this issue at a study session on November 20, and at its regular
meetings on December 4 and December 18, 2017, January 16, 2018, February 5, 2018, February 20,
2018, March 5, 2018,the study session on March 12, 2018, and at its regular meeting of March 19,
2018. Including tonight’s meeting, the City Council has considered this issue at 10 regular City Council
meetings or study sessions.
The Canal Alliance, Canal Welcome Center, Alcohol Justice, Youth for Justice, and United Marin Rising
organizations sponsored a public meeting at the Albert Boro Community Center on Saturday January
13 for the purpose of providing information to and receiving input from interested members of the
public. Another community meeting was held on March 1, 2018 at the offices of Alcohol Justice at 24
Belvedere Street, at which the City’s demographer, outside counsel, and City staff were present to
explain and answer questions about drawing districts and using the online mapping tool.
A notice of public hearing is also posted in the Marin IJ ten days prior to each public hearing. Printed
information prepared by or on behalf of the City in connection with this issue, including slide decks, has
been made available in English and in Spanish on the City’s website. Bilingual City staff has also
disseminated informational flyers directly to the public.
Finally, the City is providing on its website an interactive online tool that the public can use to draw and
submit proposed districting plans. The tool is in addition to other available methods such as paper or
on-line population maps.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The full extent of the fiscal impacts of a change to district elections is unknown at this time. The City
has retained National Demographics, Inc. to provide demographic information and prepare optional
district maps. The City’s costs for demographic services, including an interactive online tool for use by
the public in drawing and submitted proposed district maps, was approved at $39,500. Because the
demographer has been requested to attend an additional community meeting and an additional study
session, and may be asked to attend the April 16 meeting, the agreement will have to be amended to
increase the budget by $4,000 to $6,000. There are sufficient funds to support this contract in the City
Clerk’s department budget in the City’s General Fund.
The City’s additional costs for the services of outside counsel during the transition process are
estimated at $35,000. There are sufficient funds to support this contract in the City Attorney’s
department budget in the City’s General Fund.
In addition, upon adoption of the ordinance establishing the electoral districts for the 2020 election, the
City will be liable for the payment attorney Kevin Shenkman’s attorney’s fees incurred in this matter,
subject to documentation and capped at $30,000. There are sufficient funds to support this obligation in
the City Clerk’s department budget in the City’s General Fund.
Finally, the City Clerk has received an informal indication from the County Registrar’s office that the
City’s November 2020 election costs will almost certainly be higher than in past elections, since the
costs are calculated based upon the number of distinct contests in the election. Once a district-based
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 6
election system is established, there will be a separate contest in each of two City Council d istricts
rather than just one contest for all open City Council seats as has occurred in the past under the City’s
at-large election system.
OPTIONS:
The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter:
1. Hold a public hearing and select a map representing the desired City electoral districts, and
pass the ordinance to print.
2. Hold a public hearing, but defer action on the proposed ordinance.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Hold a public hearing, select a preferred district map, and pass the ordinance to print.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft Maps:
“Canal 1”
“Canal 2”
“Canal 3A”
“Canal 3A1”
“Canal 3B”
“District Elections 2”
2. Ordinance establishing a by-district election process for four council districts
3. Resolution No. 14453, with Exhibit A, timeline
4. Resolution No. 14468, with Exhibit A, criteria to guide establishment of electoral districts
5. Public Notices
6. Correspondence
4312Lucas ValleyTerra LindaMarinwoodSmith RanchSanta VenetiaPeacock GapCanalChina CampDominican/Black CanyonGlenwoodMont Marin/San Rafael ParkCountry ClubSun ValleyCivic CenterGerstle ParkLoch LomondRafael Meadows/Los RanchitosLincoln/San Rafael HillFairhillsDowntownWest EndMontecito/Happy ValleyPicnic ValleyBret HarteCalifornia ParkCanal WaterfrontBay Islands580101101City of San Rafael 2018 DistrictingNational Demographics Corporation, March 5, 2018Canal 1 MapProposed Election Sequence:2020: 1 and 42022: 2 and 3Map layerscanal 1Landmark PointLandmark AreaPipeline/Power LineRailroadRiverStreetsWater AreaNeighborhoodsSan Rafael
District 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Pop 14,372 14,448 14,562 14,337 57,719
Deviation from ideal -58 18 132 -93 225
% Deviation -0.40% 0.12% 0.91% -0.64% 1.56%
% Hisp 11% 15% 15% 79% 30%
% NH White 76% 73% 74% 13% 59%
% NH Black 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 9% 8% 6% 5% 7%
Total 11,284 10,587 11,261 3,991 37,123
% Hisp 7% 7% 9% 41% 11%
% NH White 82% 81% 81% 39% 77%
% NH Black 3% 4% 4% 2% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl.7% 6% 5% 14% 7%
Total 9,448 9,479 9,596 2,707 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 6% 7% 7% 22% 8%
% Asian-Surnamed 4% 4% 3% 7% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.85% 84% 85% 55% 82%
% NH Black 2% 3% 3% 7% 3%
Total 8,379 8,348 8,372 2,160 27,259
% Spanish-surnamed 5% 7% 6% 20% 7%
% Asian-Surnamed 4% 3% 3% 6% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.85% 85% 86% 58% 83%
% NH Black 2% 3% 3% 7% 3%
Total 5,423 5,306 5,079 1,036 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 4% 4% 4% 15% 5%
% Asian-Surnamed 3% 2% 3% 8% 3%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 0% 0% 0%
% NH White est.89% 91% 91% 66% 89%
% NH Black est.2% 2% 2% 6% 2%
ACS Pop. Est.Total 14,803 14,751 15,499 14,429 59,482
age0-19 20% 22% 19% 30% 23%
age20-60 49% 47% 59% 59% 54%
age60plus 31% 31% 22% 11% 24%
immigrants 17% 21% 19% 51% 27%
naturalized 58% 47% 34% 18% 33%
english 77% 76% 73% 27% 64%
spanish 9% 12% 18% 66% 25%
asian-lang 7% 4% 2% 5% 4%
other lang 8% 8% 6% 3% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"9% 11% 11% 48% 19%
hs-grad 41% 36% 41% 40% 40%
bachelor 29% 32% 30% 13% 27%
graduatedegree 24% 23% 21% 8% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 27% 27% 24% 44% 29%
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 58% 59% 66% 70% 63%
income 0-25k 15% 13% 17% 28% 17%
income 25-50k 14% 15% 20% 25% 18%
income 50-75k 16% 10% 11% 14% 13%
income 75-200k 37% 38% 40% 26% 36%
income 200k-plus 18% 24% 12% 6% 16%
single family 62% 74% 56% 34% 59%
multi-family 38% 26% 44% 66% 41%
rented 35% 30% 56% 72% 46%
owned 65% 70% 44% 28% 54%
Total population data from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Latino voter registration and turnout data are Spanish-surname counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undercount estimates. NH White and NH Black registration and turnout counts estimated by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
Pop., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data.
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2014)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Total Pop
Language spoken at
home
14,430
Immigration
Citizen Voting Age
Pop
Age
City of San Rafael - Canal 1 Map
3142Lucas ValleyTerra LindaMarinwoodSmith RanchSanta VenetiaPeacock GapCanalChina CampDominican/Black CanyonGlenwoodMont Marin/San Rafael ParkCountry ClubSun ValleyCivic CenterGerstle ParkLoch LomondRafael Meadows/Los RanchitosLincoln/San Rafael HillFairhillsDowntownWest EndMontecito/Happy ValleyPicnic ValleyBret HarteFrancisco Boulevard WestCalifornia ParkCanal WaterfrontBay Islands580101101City of San Rafael 2018 DistrictingNational Demographics Corporation, March 12, 2018Canal 2Proposed Election Sequence:2020: 1 and 42022: 2 and 3Map layersCanal 2Landmark PointLandmark AreaPipeline/Power LineRailroadRiverStreetsWater AreaNeighborhoods
District 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Pop 14,582 13,742 14,723 14,672 57,719
Deviation from ideal 152 -688 293 242 981
% Deviation 1.05% -4.77% 2.03% 1.68% 6.80%
% Hisp 11% 15% 15% 77% 30%
% NH White 75% 73% 74% 15% 59%
% NH Black 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 9% 8% 6% 6% 7%
Total 11,361 10,224 11,388 4,151 37,123
% Hisp 7% 7% 9% 38% 11%
% NH White 81% 81% 81% 41% 77%
% NH Black 3% 4% 4% 2% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl.7% 5% 5% 15% 7%
Total 9,667 8,903 9,712 2,948 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 6% 6% 7% 22% 8%
% Asian-Surnamed 4% 3% 3% 9% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.84% 86% 85% 55% 82%
% NH Black 3% 3% 3% 6% 3%
Total 8,565 7,877 8,458 2,359 27,259
% Spanish-surnamed 6% 6% 6% 21% 7%
% Asian-Surnamed 4% 3% 3% 8% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.85% 87% 86% 58% 83%
% NH Black 3% 3% 3% 6% 3%
Total 5,534 5,082 5,124 1,104 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 4% 4% 4% 14% 5%
% Asian-Surnamed 3% 2% 3% 7% 3%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 0% 0% 0%
% NH White est.89% 91% 91% 70% 89%
% NH Black est.2% 2% 2% 5% 2%
ACS Pop. Est.Total 15,022 13,960 15,652 14,848 59,482
age0-19 20% 22% 19% 30% 23%
age20-60 50% 46% 59% 59% 54%
age60plus 31% 32% 22% 11% 24%
immigrants 17% 19% 19% 53% 27%
naturalized 58% 52% 34% 18% 33%
english 77% 79% 73% 25% 64%
spanish 9% 9% 18% 67% 25%
asian-lang 6% 4% 2% 5% 4%
other lang 8% 8% 6% 2% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"9% 8% 11% 50% 19%
hs-grad 41% 35% 41% 40% 40%
bachelor 29% 33% 30% 12% 27%
graduatedegree 24% 24% 22% 7% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 26% 26% 24% 45% 29%
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 58% 58% 66% 70% 63%
income 0-25k 16% 12% 17% 28% 17%
income 25-50k 15% 14% 20% 26% 18%
income 50-75k 16% 9% 11% 15% 13%
income 75-200k 36% 38% 40% 26% 36%
income 200k-plus 17% 26% 12% 5% 16%
single family 61% 77% 56% 34% 59%
multi-family 39% 23% 44% 66% 41%
rented 36% 28% 56% 72% 46%
owned 64% 72% 44% 28% 54%
Total population data from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Total Pop
Language spoken at
home
14,430
Immigration
Citizen Voting Age
Pop
Age
City of San Rafael - Canal 2 Map
Latino voter registration and turnout data are Spanish-surname counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undercount estimates. NH White and NH Black registration and turnout counts estimated by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
Pop., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data.
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2014)
1243Lucas ValleyTerra LindaMarinwoodSmith RanchSanta VenetiaPeacock GapCanalChina CampDominican/Black CanyonGlenwoodMont Marin/San Rafael ParkCountry ClubSun ValleyCivic CenterGerstle ParkLoch LomondRafael Meadows/Los RanchitosLincoln/San Rafael HillFairhillsDowntownWest EndPicnic ValleyBret HarteCalifornia ParkCanal WaterfrontBay Islands580101101City of San Rafael 2018 DistrictingNational Demographics Corporation, March 26, 2018Proposed Election Sequence:2020: 1 and 42022: 2 and 3Canal 3AMap layersCanal 3A SplitCensus BlockLandmark PointLandmark AreaPipeline/Power LineRailroadRiverStreetsWater AreaNeighborhoods
District 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Pop 14,076 14,523 14,298 14,822 57,719
Deviation from ideal -354 93 -132 392 746
% Deviation -2.45% 0.64% -0.91% 2.72% 5.17%
% Hisp 76% 19% 15% 11% 30%
% NH White 16% 71% 73% 75% 59%
% NH Black 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 5% 6% 8% 9% 7%
Total 4,061 11,013 10,533 11,518 37,123
% Hisp 36% 10% 7% 7% 11%
% NH White 45% 80% 81% 81% 77%
% NH Black 2% 4% 4% 3% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl.14% 5% 6% 7% 7%
Total 3,004 9,159 9,245 9,822 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 21% 7% 7% 6% 8%
% Asian-Surnamed 7% 3% 4% 4% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.59% 85% 85% 84% 82%
% NH Black 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 2,402 8,009 8,152 8,696 27,259
% Spanish-surnamed 19% 6% 6% 6% 7%
% Asian-Surnamed 6% 3% 3% 4% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.62% 86% 86% 85% 83%
% NH Black 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 1,195 4,843 5,195 5,610 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 14% 4% 4% 4% 5%
% Asian-Surnamed 7% 3% 2% 3% 3%
% Filipino-Surnamed 0% 0% 1% 1% 0%
% NH White est.69% 91% 91% 89% 89%
% NH Black est.5% 2% 2% 2% 2%
ACS Pop. Est.Total 14,038 15,584 14,596 15,264 59,482
age0-19 30% 19% 23% 20% 23%
age20-60 60% 59% 47% 50% 54%
age60plus 10% 22% 31% 31% 24%
immigrants 52% 20% 22% 17% 27%
naturalized 18% 34% 47% 58% 33%
english 26% 73% 76% 77% 64%
spanish 67% 19% 12% 9% 25%
asian-lang 5% 2% 4% 6% 4%
other lang 2% 6% 8% 8% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"49% 11% 11% 9% 19%
hs-grad 40% 40% 36% 41% 40%
bachelor 13% 30% 32% 29% 27%
graduatedegree 8% 21% 23% 24% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 45% 24% 27% 26% 29%
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 70% 65% 59% 58% 63%
income 0-25k 28% 17% 13% 16% 17%
income 25-50k 26% 20% 15% 15% 18%
income 50-75k 15% 10% 9% 16% 13%
income 75-200k 26% 40% 38% 36% 36%
income 200k-plus 6% 12% 25% 17% 16%
single family 32% 56% 77% 60% 59%
multi-family 68% 44% 23% 40% 41%
rented 74% 55% 29% 36% 46%
owned 26% 45% 71% 64% 54%
Total population data from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Latino voter registration and turnout data are Spanish-surname counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undercount estimates. NH White and NH Black registration and turnout counts estimated by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
Pop., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data.
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2014)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Total Pop
Language spoken at
home
14,430
Immigration
Citizen Voting Age
Pop
Age
City of San Rafael - Canal 3A Map (with block splits)
1243Lucas ValleyTerra LindaMarinwoodSmith RanchSanta VenetiaPeacock GapCanalChina CampDominican/Black CanyonGlenwoodMont Marin/San Rafael ParkCountry ClubSun ValleyCivic CenterGerstle ParkLoch LomondRafael Meadows/Los RanchitosLincoln/San Rafael HillFairhillsDowntownWest EndMontecito/Happy ValleyPicnic ValleyBret HarteCalifornia ParkCanal WaterfrontBay Islands580101101City of San Rafael 2018 DistrictingNational Demographics Corporation, March 26, 2018Proposed Election Sequence:2020: 1 and 42022: 2 and 3Canal 3A1Map layersCanal 3A1 SplitLandmark PointLandmark AreaPipeline/Power LineRailroadRiverStreetsWater AreaNeighborhoods
District 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Pop 13,966 14,633 14,298 14,822 57,719
Deviation from ideal -464 203 -132 392 856
% Deviation -3.22% 1.41% -0.91% 2.72% 5.93%
% Hisp 80% 16% 15% 11% 30%
% NH White 12% 74% 73% 75% 59%
% NH Black 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 5% 6% 8% 9% 7%
Total 3,772 11,302 10,533 11,518 37,123
% Hisp 42% 9% 7% 7% 11%
% NH White 37% 81% 81% 81% 77%
% NH Black 2% 4% 4% 3% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl.15% 5% 6% 7% 7%
Total 2,581 9,582 9,245 9,822 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 22% 7% 7% 6% 8%
% Asian-Surnamed 7% 3% 4% 4% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.55% 85% 85% 84% 82%
% NH Black 6% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 2,072 8,339 8,152 8,696 27,259
% Spanish-surnamed 21% 6% 6% 6% 7%
% Asian-Surnamed 7% 3% 3% 4% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.58% 86% 86% 85% 83%
% NH Black 6% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 991 5,048 5,195 5,610 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 15% 4% 4% 4% 5%
% Asian-Surnamed 8% 3% 2% 3% 3%
% Filipino-Surnamed 0% 0% 1% 1% 0%
% NH White est.66% 91% 91% 89% 89%
% NH Black est.6% 2% 2% 2% 2%
ACS Pop. Est.Total 14,094 15,529 14,596 15,264 59,482
age0-19 30% 19% 23% 20% 23%
age20-60 59% 59% 47% 50% 54%
age60plus 11% 22% 31% 31% 24%
immigrants 52% 19% 22% 17% 27%
naturalized 18% 34% 47% 58% 33%
english 26% 73% 76% 77% 64%
spanish 67% 18% 12% 9% 25%
asian-lang 5% 2% 4% 6% 4%
other lang 2% 6% 8% 8% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"49% 11% 11% 9% 19%
hs-grad 40% 41% 36% 41% 40%
bachelor 12% 30% 32% 29% 27%
graduatedegree 7% 22% 23% 24% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 46% 24% 27% 26% 29%
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 70% 66% 59% 58% 63%
income 0-25k 29% 17% 13% 16% 17%
income 25-50k 26% 20% 15% 15% 18%
income 50-75k 15% 11% 9% 16% 13%
income 75-200k 25% 40% 38% 36% 36%
income 200k-plus 5% 12% 25% 17% 16%
single family 33% 55% 77% 60% 59%
multi-family 67% 45% 23% 40% 41%
rented 73% 56% 29% 36% 46%
owned 27% 44% 71% 64% 54%
Total population data from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Latino voter registration and turnout data are Spanish-surname counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undercount estimates. NH White and NH Black registration and turnout counts estimated by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
Pop., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data.
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2014)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Total Pop
Language spoken at
home
14,430
Immigration
Citizen Voting Age
Pop
Age
City of San Rafael - Canal 3A1 Map
1243Lucas ValleyTerra LindaMarinwoodSmith RanchSanta VenetiaPeacock GapCanalChina CampDominican/Black CanyonGlenwoodMont Marin/San Rafael ParkCountry ClubSun ValleyCivic CenterGerstle ParkLoch LomondRafael Meadows/Los RanchitosLincoln/San Rafael HillFairhillsDowntownWest EndMontecito/Happy ValleyPicnic ValleyBret HarteFrancisco Boulevard WestCalifornia ParkCanal WaterfrontBay Islands580101101City of San Rafael 2018 DistrictingNational Demographics Corporation, March 26, 2018Proposed Election Sequence:2020: 1 and 42022: 2 and 3Canal 3BMap layersCanal 3BLandmark PointLandmark AreaPipeline/Power LineRailroadRiverStreetsWater AreaNeighborhoods
District 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Pop 14,215 14,633 14,049 14,822 57,719
Deviation from ideal -215 203 -381 392 773
% Deviation -1.49% 1.41% -2.64% 2.72% 5.36%
% Hisp 77% 16% 17% 11% 30%
% NH White 15% 74% 71% 75% 59%
% NH Black 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 5% 6% 8% 9% 7%
Total 4,057 11,302 10,248 11,518 37,123
% Hisp 39% 9% 8% 7% 11%
% NH White 42% 81% 81% 81% 77%
% NH Black 2% 4% 4% 3% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl.15% 5% 5% 7% 7%
Total 2,932 9,582 8,894 9,822 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 23% 7% 6% 6% 8%
% Asian-Surnamed 9% 3% 3% 4% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.55% 85% 86% 84% 82%
% NH Black 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 2,343 8,339 7,881 8,696 27,259
% Spanish-surnamed 21% 6% 6% 6% 7%
% Asian-Surnamed 8% 3% 3% 4% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.58% 86% 87% 85% 83%
% NH Black 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 1,109 5,048 5,077 5,610 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 14% 4% 4% 4% 5%
% Asian-Surnamed 7% 3% 2% 3% 3%
% Filipino-Surnamed 0% 0% 1% 1% 0%
% NH White est.70% 91% 91% 89% 89%
% NH Black est.5% 2% 2% 2% 2%
ACS Pop. Est.Total 14,418 15,529 14,272 15,264 59,482
age0-19 31% 19% 22% 20% 23%
age20-60 59% 59% 47% 50% 54%
age60plus 10% 22% 31% 31% 24%
immigrants 54% 19% 20% 17% 27%
naturalized 18% 34% 52% 58% 33%
english 23% 73% 79% 77% 64%
spanish 69% 18% 9% 9% 25%
asian-lang 6% 2% 4% 6% 4%
other lang 2% 6% 8% 8% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"51% 11% 8% 9% 19%
hs-grad 40% 41% 36% 41% 40%
bachelor 11% 30% 33% 29% 27%
graduatedegree 6% 22% 24% 24% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 47% 24% 26% 26% 29%
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 70% 66% 58% 58% 63%
income 0-25k 29% 17% 13% 16% 17%
income 25-50k 26% 20% 14% 15% 18%
income 50-75k 15% 11% 9% 16% 13%
income 75-200k 25% 40% 39% 36% 36%
income 200k-plus 5% 12% 26% 17% 16%
single family 33% 55% 77% 60% 59%
multi-family 67% 45% 23% 40% 41%
rented 73% 56% 28% 36% 46%
owned 27% 44% 72% 64% 54%
Total population data from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Latino voter registration and turnout data are Spanish-surname counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undercount estimates. NH White and NH Black registration and turnout counts estimated by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
Pop., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data.
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2014)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Total Pop
Language spoken at
home
14,430
Immigration
Citizen Voting Age
Pop
Age
City of San Rafael - Canal 3B Map
4312Lucas ValleyTerra LindaMarinwoodSmith RanchSanta VenetiaPeacock GapCanalChina CampDominican/Black CanyonGlenwoodMont Marin/San Rafael ParkCountry ClubSun ValleyCivic CenterGerstle ParkLoch LomondRafael Meadows/Los RanchitosLincoln/San Rafael HillFairhillsDowntownWest EndMontecito/Happy ValleyPicnic ValleyBret HarteFrancisco Boulevard WestCalifornia ParkCanal WaterfrontBay Islands580101101City of San Rafael 2018 DistrictingNational Demographics Corporation, March 12, 2018"DistrictElections 2"Proposed Election Sequence:2020: 1 and 42022: 2 and 3Map layersDist Elections 2Landmark PointLandmark AreaPipeline/Power LineRailroadRiverStreetsWater AreaNeighborhoods
District 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Pop 15,260 13,966 13,958 14,535 57,719
Deviation from ideal 830 -464 -472 105 1,302
% Deviation 5.75% -3.22% -3.27% 0.73% 9.02%
% Hisp 11% 19% 17% 72% 30%
% NH White 75% 69% 72% 20% 59%
% NH Black 2% 2% 3% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 9% 8% 6% 6% 7%
Total 11,912 10,052 10,487 4,672 37,123
% Hisp 7% 9% 9% 31% 11%
% NH White 81% 79% 81% 50% 77%
% NH Black 3% 4% 4% 2% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl.7% 5% 4% 14% 7%
Total 10,105 8,827 8,922 3,376 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 6% 6% 7% 20% 8%
% Asian-Surnamed 4% 3% 3% 8% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.84% 85% 85% 62% 82%
% NH Black 3% 3% 3% 5% 3%
Total 8,943 7,785 7,763 2,768 27,259
% Spanish-surnamed 6% 6% 6% 19% 7%
% Asian-Surnamed 4% 3% 3% 7% 4%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH White est.85% 86% 86% 65% 83%
% NH Black 3% 3% 3% 5% 3%
Total 5,753 4,978 4,700 1,412 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 4% 4% 4% 11% 5%
% Asian-Surnamed 3% 2% 3% 7% 3%
% Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 0% 0% 0%
% NH White est.89% 91% 91% 76% 89%
% NH Black est.2% 2% 2% 4% 2%
ACS Pop. Est.Total 15,700 14,201 14,621 14,961 59,482
age0-19 20% 22% 18% 30% 23%
age20-60 50% 47% 59% 59% 54%
age60plus 31% 31% 23% 11% 24%
immigrants 17% 20% 19% 53% 27%
naturalized 58% 51% 34% 18% 33%
english 77% 79% 75% 24% 64%
spanish 9% 10% 17% 68% 25%
asian-lang 7% 3% 2% 6% 4%
other lang 8% 8% 6% 2% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well"9% 8% 10% 50% 19%
hs-grad 42% 36% 41% 40% 40%
bachelor 29% 33% 31% 11% 27%
graduatedegree 24% 24% 22% 6% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 26% 26% 24% 46% 29%
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 58% 58% 66% 70% 63%
income 0-25k 16% 12% 16% 29% 17%
income 25-50k 15% 14% 20% 26% 18%
income 50-75k 16% 9% 11% 14% 13%
income 75-200k 36% 39% 40% 25% 36%
income 200k-plus 17% 26% 12% 5% 16%
single family 60% 77% 54% 36% 59%
multi-family 40% 23% 46% 64% 41%
rented 36% 29% 57% 71% 46%
owned 64% 71% 43% 29% 54%
Total population data from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Total Pop
Language spoken at
home
14,430
Immigration
Citizen Voting Age
Pop
Age
City of San Rafael - District Elections 2 Map
Latino voter registration and turnout data are Spanish-surname counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undercount estimates. NH White and NH Black registration and turnout counts estimated by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
Pop., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data.
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2016)
Voter Turnout
(Nov 2014)
ORDINANCE NO. 1956
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
ESTABLISHING A BY-DISTRICT ELECTION PROCESS IN FOUR COUNCIL
DISTRICTS PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CODE § 10010 &
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE §§ 34871 (C) & 34886
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael supports the full participation of all residents in
electing members of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, Article VI of the Charter of the City of San Rafael provides for four
elected City Council members and a separately elected Mayor; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael currently elects four of its City Council members
using an at-large election system, with a separately elected Mayor, who is also a member
of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, in the at-large election system candidates may reside in any part of
the City, and each City Council member is elected by the voters of the entire City; and
WHEREAS, in a by-district election system a candidate for City Council must
reside in the district which he or she wishes to represent, and only the voters of that district
are entitled to vote to decide who their representative will be; and
WHEREAS, on November 10, 2017, the City received a letter from an attorney
asserting the City's at-large electoral system violated the California Voting Rights Act, and
threatening litigation if the City declined to adopt by-district elections; and
WHEREAS, the letter did not contain any evidence of a violation , but the cost of
defending against a claim under the California Voting Rights Act is extremely high; and
WHEREAS, Article IV, Section 2, of the Charter of the City of San Rafael provides
that all elections to fill the City's public offices shall be conducted in the manner provided
for by general law; and
WHEREAS, California Government Code section 34886, as amended effective
January 1,2017, provides:
Notwithstanding Section 34871 or any other law, th.e legislative body of a
city may adopt an ordinance that requires the members of the legislative
body to be elected by district or by district with an elective mayor, as
described in subdivisions (a) and (c) of Section 34871, without being
required to submit the ordinance to the voters for approval. An ordinance
adopted pursuant to this section shall include a declaration that the change
in the method of electing members of the legislative body is being made in
furtherance of the purposes of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001
1
(Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 14025) of Division 14 of the
Elections Code); and
WHEREAS, California Government Code section 34871 (c) provides for the
election of members of the legislative body of a city by districts in four districts, with a
separately elected mayor; and
WHEREAS, at its regular meeting on January 16, 2018, the City Council adopted
a resolution of intent to establish a by-district voting process pursuant to Elections Code
section 10010; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Government Code section 34886, it is declared
the change in the method of electing members of the City Council of the City of San Rafael
made by this ordinance is to implement the guarantees of Section 7 of Article I and of
Section 2 of Article " of the California Constitution, as set forth in Section 14031 of the
California Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, under the provisions of California Elections Code section 10010, a
political subdivision that changes from an at-large method of election to a by-district
method of election shall hold at least two public hearings over a period of no more than
thirty days, at which the public is invited to provide input regarding the composition of the
districts before drawing a draft map or maps of the proposed boundaries of the districts;
and
WHEREAS, before any maps of the proposed boundaries of the districts were
drawn, the City Council held public hearings on February 5,2018, and February 20,2018,
at which time input from the public on the proposed district boundaries was invited and
heard; and
WHEREAS, at the public hearing on February 20, 2018, the City Council instructed
its demographic consultant to develop redistricting plan options in accordance with the
criteria adopted by the Council in Resolution No. 14468; and
WHEREAS, on February 26, 2018, consistent with the provisions of California
Elections Code section 10010, the City published and made available for release, six draft
maps for consideration by the Council, three of which were prepared by the City's
demographic consultant and three of which were prepared and submitted to the City by
members of the public; and
WHEREAS, the potential sequence of elections was also published; and
WHEREAS, as required by California Elections Code section 10010 and as
detailed hereafter, the City held at least two additional hearings within a period of no more
than 45 days from February 26, 2018, at which the public was again invited to provide
input regarding the content of the draft maps and the potential sequence of elections; and
2
: ,
WHEREAS, as required by California Elections Code section 10010, the City held
a public hearing on March 5, 2018, at which the public was invited to provide input
regarding the content of the draft maps and the potential sequence of elections; and
WHEREAS, on March 5, 2018, consistent with the provisions of California
Elections Code section 10010, the City published, and made available for release, one
additional draft map prepared and submitted by members of the public for consideration
by the public and the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the potential sequence of elections for that map was also published;
and
WHEREAS, on March 12, 2018, the City Council held a specially-noticed study
session for further consideration of the seven draft maps that were published on or before
March 12, 2018; and
WHEREAS, on March 12, 2018, consistent with the provisions of California
Elections Code section 10010, the City published and made available for release, four
additional/revised draft map(s) for consideration by the public and the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the potential sequence of elections for those maps was also
published; and
WHEREAS, as required by California Elections Code section 10010, the City held
a public hearing on March 19, 2018, at which the public was invited to provide input
regarding the content of the eleven draft maps published and made available for release
on or before March 12, 2018, and the potential sequence of elections; and
WHEREAS, on March 26, 2018, consistent with the provisions of California
Elections Code section 10010, the City published, and made available for release, three
additional draft maps prepared and submitted by the City's demographic consultant for
consideration by the public and the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the potential sequence of elections for those maps was also
published; and
WHEREAS, as required by California Elections Code section 10010, the City held
a public hearing on April 2, 2018, at which the public was invited to provide input regarding
the content of the fourteen draft maps published and made available for release on or
before March 26, 2018, and the potential sequence of elections; and .
WHEREAS, the purpose of this Ordinance is to enact, pursuant to the Charter of
the City of San Rafael and California Government Code section 34886, an ordinance
providing for the election of the members of the City Council of the City of San Rafael by-
district in four single-member districts, retaining a separately elected office of Mayor.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of San Rafael does ordain as
follows:
3
DIVISION 1.
Chapter 2.02 of the San Rafael Municipal Code, entitled "Elections", is hereby amended
by amending Section 2.02.040 thereof to read as follows:
2.02.040. By-district electoral system for four City Councilmembers;
Mayor separately elected.
A. Pursuant to the City Charter and California Government Code sections
34886 and 34871 (c), councilmembers shall be elected by-districts in four (4)
. single-member districts. As required by the City Charter, the Mayor will be
separately elected by a citywide vote.
B. (1) Beginning with the general municipal election in November 2020,
councilmembers shall be elected in the electoral districts reflected on the map
contained in Exhibit A hereto and as subsequently reapportioned as provided by
State law. Elections shall take place on a by-district basis as that term is defined
in California Government Code section 34871, meaning one member of the City
Council shall be elected from each district, by the voters of that district alone,
except for the Mayor, who shall be elected citywide. In accordance with the City
Charter, each councilmember and the Mayor, shall serve a four-year term until his
or her successor has qualified.
(2) Except as provided in subdivision (B)(3) hereof, the councilmember elected to
represent a district must reside in that district and be a registered voter in that
district, and any candidate for City Council must live in, and be a registered voter
in, the district in which he or she seeks election at the time nomination papers are
issued, pursuant to California Government Code section 34882 and Elections
Code section 10227. Termination of residency in a district by a councilmember
shall create an immediate vacancy for that council district unless a substitute
residence within the district is established within 30 days after the termination of
residency .
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, each of the
councilmembers in office at the time this Chapter takes effect shall continue in
office until the expiration of the full term to which he or she was elected and until
his or h~r successor is qualified. Vacancies in councilmember offices elected at-
large may be filled from the City at-large. At the end of the term of each
councilmember, that member's successor shall be elected on a by-district basis in
the districts established in Subsection A and the map contained in Exhibit A hereto,
as may subsequently reapportioned as provided by State law. A vacancy in a
Councilmember office elected by-district shall be filled by a person qualified to hold
the office, who is a resident of the district.
4
DIVISION 2.
Chapter 2.02 of the San Rafael Municipal Code, entitled "Elections", is hereby amended
by adding new Section 2.02.050 to read as follows:
2.02.050. Election schedule for Councilmembers elected by-district.
A. Councilmembers shall be elected in Council Districts 4/North and 1/South
beginning at the General Municipal Election in November 2020, and every four
years thereafter.
B. The Councilmembers from Council Districts 3/East and 2/West shall be
elected beginning at the General Municipal Election in November 2022, and every
four years thereafter.
DIVISION 3.
Chapter 2.02 of the San Rafael Municipal Code, entitled "Elections", is hereby amended
by adding new Section 2.02.060 to read as follows:
2.02.060 Election of other City officers.
The election of members of the board of education, and all other elective city
officers, shall occur at the general municipal election, and the terms of their
offices shall be as set forth in the City Charter. Nominations and all elections to
fill public offices and elections on measures shall be made, held and conducted
in the manner provided for by general law.
DIVISION 4.
If necessary to facilitate the implementation of this Ordinance, the City Manager or his or
her designee is authorized to make technical adjustments to the district boundaries that
do not substantively affect the populations in the districts, the eligibility of candidates, or
the residence of elected officials within any district. The City Manager shall consult with
the City Attorney concerning any technical adjustments deemed necessary and shall
advise the City Council of any such adjustments required in the implementation of the
districts.
DIVISION 5:
The City Council finds that the proposed amendments to the San Rafael Municipal Code
are exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
pursuant to Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 15061 (b)(3) in that it
is not a project which has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
5
DIVISION 6.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason
held to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of
this Ordinance. The Council hereby declares that it would have adopted the Ordinance
and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact
that anyone or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases be declared
invalid.
DIVISION 7.
A summary of this Ordinance shall be published and a certified copy of the full text
of this Ordinance shall be posted in the office of the City Clerk at least five (5) days prior
to the Council meeting at which it is adopted.
This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect thirty (30) days after its final
passage, and the summary of this Ordinance shall be published within fifteen (15) days
after the adoption, together with the names of those Councilmembers voting for or against
same, in the Marin Independent Journal, a newspaper of general circulation published
and circulated in the City of San Rafael, Marin County, State of California.
Within fifteen (15) days after adoption, the City Clerk shall also post in the office
of the City Clerk a certified copy of the full text of this Ordinance, along with the names
of those Councilmembers voting for or against the Ordinance.
ATTEST:
LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk
The foregoing Ordinance No. 1956 was read and introduced at a regular meeting
of the City Council of the City of San Rafael on Monday, April 2, 2018, and was ordered
passed to print by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers: Bushey, Gamblin, McCullough & Mayor Phillips
NOES: Councilmembers: Colin
ABSENT: Councilmembers: None
6
And will come up for adoption as an Ordinance of the City of San Rafael at a Regular
Meeting of the Council to be held on the 16th day of April 2018.
LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk
[EXHIBIT A -CANAL 3B DISTRICT MAP]
7
Lucas Valley
Map layers
D Cana13B
+ Landmark Point
Landmark Area
Pipeline/Power Line
--Railroad
River
--Streets
Water Area
Neighborhoods
Marinwood
Proposed Election Sequence:
2020: 1 and 4
2022: 2 and 3
City of San Rafael 2018 Districting
Cana13B
Santa Venetia
China Camp
Bay Islands
National Demographics Corporation, March 26, 2018
City of San Rafael -Canal 3B Map
District I 1 2 3 4 Total
Ideal Total Po~ 14,215 14,633 14,049 14,822 57,719
14,430 Deviation from ideal -215 203 -381 392 773
% Deviation -1.49% 1.41% -2.64% 2.72% 5.36%
%Hisp 77% 16% 17% 11% 30%
Total Pop %NHWhite 15% 74% 71% 75% 59% --%NHBlack 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
% Asian-American 5% 6% 8% 9% 7%
Total 4,057 11,302 10,248 11,518 37,123
Citizen Voting Age %Hisp 39% 9% 8% 7% 11%
%NHWhite 42% 81% 81% 81% 77% Pop -%NH Black 2% 4% 4% 3% 3%
% Asian/Pac.Isl. 15% 5% 5% 7% 7%
Total 2,932 9,582 8,894 9,822 31,230
% Spanish-surnamed 23'V. 7% 6% 6% 8%
Voter Registration % Asian-Surnamed 9% 3% 3% 4% 4%
(Nov 2016) % Filipino-Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH \'\'hite est. 55 % 85% 86 % 84% 82 %
%NHBlack 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 2,343 8,339 7,881 8,696 27,259
% Spanish -surnamed 21 % 6% 6% 6% 7% -Voter Turnout % Asian-Surnamed 8% 3% 3% 4% 4%
(Nov 2016) % Filipino -Surnamed 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
% NH \'\'hite est. 58% 86% 87% 85% 83% --%NHBlack 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
Total 1,109 5,048 5,077 5,610 16,844
% Spanish-surnamed 14% 4% 4% 4% 5%
Voter Turnout % Asian-Surnamed 7% 3% 2% 3% 3%
(Nov 2014) % Filipino-Surnamed 0% 0% 1% 1% 0%
% NH \'\'hite cst. 70% 91% 91 % 89% 89 %
% NH Black est. 5% 2% 2% 2% 2%
ACS Pop. Est. Total 14,418 15,529 14,272 15,264 59,482
ageO -19 31 % 19% 22% 20% 23%
Age age20 -60 59% 59% 47% 50% 54%
age60plus 10% 22% 31% 31% 24%
Immigration immigrants 54% 19% 20% 17% 27% -naturalized 18% 34% 52% 58% 33 %
Language spoken at english 23 % 73% 79% 77% 64%
spa~sh 69% 18% 9% 9% 25 % home -asian-lang 6% 2% 4% 6% 4%
other lang 2% 6% 8% 8% 6%
Language Fluency Speaks Eng. "Less 51 % 11% 8% 9% 19% than Very WeU"
Education (among hs-~ad 40% 41 % 36 % 41 % 40 %
those age 25 +) bachelor 11 % 30% 33 % 29 % 27%
graduatedegree 6% 22% 24% 24% 20%
Child in Household child-under18 47 % 24% 26 % 26% 29 %
Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 70% 66% 58% 58% 63%
income 0-25k 29 % 17% 13% 16% 17%
income 25 -50k 26 % 20% 14% 15% 18%
Household Income income 50-75k 15% 11 % 9% 16% 13%
income 75 -200k 25 % 40% 39 % 36 % 36 %
income 200k-plus 5% 12% 26 % 17% 16%
single family 33 % 55% 77% 60% 59 %
Housing Stats multi-family 67 % 45% 23% 40% 41 %
rented 73% 56 % 28 % 36 % 46 %
owned 27% 44% 72% 64% 54%
Tow population d.tt from the 20 HI Decennial Census.
Surname-based Voter Registration and Turnout data from the California Statewide Database.
Larino votcr rcg;stfation and turnout data arc Sp:mish-sumamc counts adjusted using Census Population Department
undcrcount estimarcs. NH \Vhirc and NH Black rc-gistntion and rumout counts estim.red by NDC. Citizen Voting Age
P o p., Age, Immigration, and other demographics from the 2011-2015 American Community Survcy and Special
Tabulation 5-ve .r datto
RESOLUTION NO. 14453
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
DECLARING ITS INTENTION TO TRANSITION FROM AT-LARGE TO
DISTRICT-BASED ELECTIONS FOR CITY COUNCIL PURSUANT TO
ELECTIONS CODE SECTION 1001 0(E}(3}(A}, EFFECTIVE
FOR THE NOVEMBER 2020 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael is a charter city duly organized and existing pursuant
to the Constitution and laws of the State of California; and
WHEREAS, Article VI of the Charter of the City of San Rafael ("City Charter") provides
for the election of four city council members and a separately elected mayor at the general
municipal election; and
WHEREAS, Article IV of the City Charter provides that all elections to fill public offices
shall be held and conducted as provided by general state law; and
WHEREAS, the City currently uses an at-large election system for electing the mayor
and city council members; and
WHEREAS, on November 20, 2017, the City Clerk received by certified mail a letter
from attorney Kevin I. Shenkman asserting that the City's at-large election system violates the
California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (Elections Code §§14025-14032) ("CVRA") and threatening
to sue the City unless the City transitions to a district-based election system for its city council;
and
WHEREAS, a violation of the CVRA is established if it can be proven that "racially
polarized voting" occurs in the City's at-large election system. Racially polarized voting means
voting in which there is a difference in the choice of candidates or other electoral choices that
are preferred by voters in a "protected class", an in the choice of candidates or other electoral
choices that are preferred by voters in the rest of the electorate (Elections Code §14026(e));
and
WHEREAS, the City Council has been advised that defending a lawsuit filed pursuant to
the CVRA will require the City to incur legal fees and costs potentially in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars for the City's own defense, and additional liability of potentially hundreds of
thousands of dollars in legal fees and costs payable to the prevailing plaintiffs if the City is
unsuccessful; and
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 34886, in certain circumstances,
authorizes the legislative body of a city to adopt an ordinance to change its method of
election from an "at-large" to "district-based" in which each council member is elected only
by the voters residing in the district in which the candidate resides; and
WHEREAS, the California Legislature, in amendments to Elections Code section 10010,
has provided a method whereby a jurisdiction, including a charter city, can expeditiously change
to a by-district election system and avoid litigation under the CVRA; and
WHEREAS, if the City elects to transition to a district-based election system within the
timeframe established in Elections Code section 10010, then the City is protected from the filing
of a CVRA lawsuit with its incumbent costs, and its liability to the potential plaintiffs for legal fees
will be capped at $30,000; and
WHEREAS, although Mr. Shenkman's letter was not accompanied by any evidence to
support his claim of a CVRA violation, the City Council finds that the City should act within the
safe-harbor timeframe provided by Elections Code Section 10010 to transition from an at-large
election system to a district-based election system for electing the city councilmembers; and
WHEREAS, prior to the City Council's consideration of an ordinance to establish district
boundaries for a district-based electoral system, California Elections Code Section 10010
requires all of the following:
1. Prior to drawing a draft map or maps of the proposed boundaries of the districts,
the City shall hold at least two (2) public hearings over a period of no more than
thirty (30) days, at which the public will be invited to provide input regarding the
composition of the districts;
2. After all draft maps are drawn, City shall publish and make available for release
at least one draft map and, if members of the City Council will be elected in their
districts at different times to provide for staggered terms of office, the potential
sequence of the elections shall also be published. The City Council shall also
hold at least two (2) additional hearings over a period of no more than forty-five
(45) days, at which the public shall be invited to provide input regarding the
content of the draft map or maps and the proposed sequence of elections, if
applicable. The first version of a draft map shall be published at least seven (7)
days before consideration at a hearing. If a draft map is revised at or following a
hearing, it shall be published and made available to the public for at least seven
(7) days before being adopted; and
WHEREAS, the City will retain an experienced demographer to assist the City to
develop a proposal for a district-based electoral system; and
WHEREAS, the adoption of a district-based electoral system will not affect the term of
any sitting Council Member, each of whom will serve out his or her current term;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of San Rafael
as follows:
1. The City Council shall consider an ordinance to change to a district-based election
system for use in the City's General Municipal Election for City Council Members
beginning in November 2020.
2. The City Council directs staff to work with the City's retained demographer, and other
appropriate consultants as needed, to provide a detailed analysis of the City's
current demographics and any other information or data necessary to prepare a draft
map that divides the City into voting districts in a manner consistent with the intent
and purpose of the California Voting Rights Act and the Federal Voting Rights Act.
3. The City Council approves the tentative timeline set forth in Exhibit A, attached to
and made a part of this resolution, for conducting a public process to solicit public
input on proposed district-based electoral maps before adopting any such map.
2
4. The City Council directs staff to institute a program for public outreach and to inform
the residents of San Rafael of this resolution and the process set forth in Exhibit A,
and to facilitate and encourage public participation.
5. The timeline contained in Exhibit A may be adjusted as deemed necessary, provided
that such adjustments shall not prevent the City from complying with the time frames
specified by Election Code Section 10010.
I, LINDSAY LARA, Interim City Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the
foregoing resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the
City Council of the City of San Rafael held on the 16 th day of January, 2018, by the following
vote, to wit:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Bushey, Colin, Gamblin, McCullough & Mayor Phillips
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
Lindsay Lara, Interim City Clerk
3
EXHIBIT A
TENTATIVE TIMELINE
TRANSITION TO DISTRICT-BASED ELECTIONS PER ELECTIONS CODE §10010
NO. TASK DATE
1 Adopt Resolution of Intention January 16, 2018
2 1ST Public Hearing: Consider
composition of districts
February 5, 2018
3 2nd Public Hearing: Consider
composition of districts
February 20, 2018
4 Publication of draft maps and
proposed election sequence
By February 26, 2018
5 3rd Public Hearing: Consider draft
maps and election sequence
March 5, 2018
6 Publication of any new or revised
draft maps and/or proposed election
sequences
By March 12, 2018
7 4th Public Hearing: Consider draft
maps election sequence, and
introduce ordinance establishing
district elections
March 19, 2018
8 Publication of any new or revised
draft maps and/or proposed election
sequences
By April 9, 2018
9 5th Public Hearing: Adopt ordinance
establishing district
April 16, 2018
10 Day 90 April 16, 2018
11 Effective date of ordinance
12 First district-based election November 3, 2020
RESOLUTION NO. 14468
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
SPECIFYING THE CRITERIA TO GUIDE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
ELECTORAL DISTRICTS AND TO FURTHER SPECIFY THE DEADLINE FOR
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSED MAPS BY THE PUBLIC
WHEREAS, on January 16, 2018, the City Council of the City of San Rafael (“City”)
adopted Resolution No. 14453, stating its intention to adopted district -based elections
pursuant to Elections Code section 10010 and the California Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, the City has retained an experienced demographer and special legal counsel
to assist the City in establishing a by-district electoral system; and
WHEREAS, on February 5, 2018, and February 20, 2018, the City Council received
presentations from its special counsel concerning the current demographics of the City under the
2010 census and American Community Survey, and the procedures and legal and policy criteria
governing districting, and received public comment regarding appropriate criteria; and
WHEREAS, on February 5, 2018, and February 20, 2018, the City Council further
conducted duly noticed public hearings at which it received testimony from the public regarding
appropriate districting criteria; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has fully considered the presentations of its consultants and
all of the public comments received; and
WHEREAS, the City Council now wishes to adopt criteria to guide the establishment of
electoral districts consistent with legal requirements, including reasonably equal population and
Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, and which address other concerns and considerations
important to the City; and
WHEREAS, the City has made available on its website materials, including an online
mapping program, that are designed to enable members of the public to submit proposed district
maps for consideration by the Council; and
WHEREAS, in adopting Resolution No. 14453, the City Council also adopted a timeline
for the consideration of proposed maps; and
WHEREAS, to facilitate full consideration of proposed maps at public hearings scheduled
for March 5, 2018, March 19, 2018, and April 16, 2018, the Council wishes to adopt a deadline
for submission of proposed maps from the public;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the above recitals are true and correct; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby adopts the criteria identified
in Exhibit A to this Resolution as criteria to guide the establishment of electoral districts to be
implemented beginning with the November 2020 City Council elections; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City’s redistricting/demographic consulting firm,
acting under the supervision of the City Manager, is hereby authorized and directed to formulate
one or more electoral district plan scenarios based upon the criteria specified in Exhibit A for
review by the public and by the City Council at three public hearings (or more if necessary), in
accordance with the adopted timeline; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby adopts a deadline of March
8, 2018, for submission of proposed maps by the public for consideration by the City Council at
future public hearings; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Manager shall consult with legal counsel to
resolve all legal issues necessary to give effect to this Resolution.
I, LINDSAY LARA, Interim City Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the
foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the
City Council of the City of San Rafael, held on Tuesday, the 20th of February 2018, by the
following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers: Colin, McCullough & Mayor Pro Tem Bushey
NOES: Councilmembers: None
ABSENT: Councilmembers: Gamblin & Mayor Phillips
Lindsay Lara, Interim City Clerk
EXHIBIT A
Specification of Criteria to Guide the Establishment of Electoral Districts
1. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall be established so that the electoral districts
are equal in population as defined by law.
2. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall not be gerrymandered in violation of the
principles established by the United States Supreme Court in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630
(1993), and its progeny.
3. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall be established so that the electoral districts
do not result in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen to vote on account of
race or color as provided in Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act.
4. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall observe communities of interest as identified
in public comment or identified by the city council, including, but not limited to social
interests; historical areas; industrial or service industry interests; residential and
commercial areas, the location of city facilities and historical sites, and the like, insofar as
practicable.
5. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall be compact, insofar as practicable.
6. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall be created to contain cohesive, contiguous
territory, insofar as practicable. A district shall not be determined to be non-contiguous
within the meaning of this criterion if it is connected by Census blocks comprised of water,
and the Council may also take into account the existence of numerous unincorporated
islands within the boundaries of the City that are not part of incorporated San Rafael in
assessing contiguity.
7. The boundaries of the electoral districts may observe topography and geography, such
as the existence of mountains, flat land, forest lands, man-made geographical features
such as highways, major roadways and canals, etc., as natural divisions between districts,
insofar as practicable.
8. Unless otherwise required by law, the electoral districts shall be created using whole
census blocks, insofar as practicable.
9. The boundaries of the electoral districts may avoid the “pairing” of incumbents in the same
electoral district, insofar as this does not conflict with the constitution and laws of the St ate
of California and the United States.
10. The boundaries of the electoral districts shall comply with such other factors which
become known during the districting process and are formally adopted by the City Council.
DISTRICT ELECTIONS CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
NOTICE OF PUBLICATION OF DRAFT DISTRICT MAPS
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on Monday, March 26, 2018, the City of San Rafael will
publish on its website draft maps showing proposed electoral district boundaries, for
discussion at a public hearing to be held by the San Rafael City Council.
YOU MAY REVIEW DRAFT MAPS by going to the following page on the City of San
Rafael’s website: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/draft-maps/. You may also review
draft maps in the Office of the City Clerk, at San Rafael City Hall room 209, 1400 Fifth
Avenue, San Rafael, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
THE CITY COUNCIL HEARING to consider the draft district maps will be held:
Monday, April 2, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA
FOR MORE INFORMATION you may contact Lindsay Lara, City Clerk, at (415) 485-
3066 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL
/s/ _______________________
LINDSAY LARA,
City Clerk, City of San Rafael
CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The City Council of the City of San Rafael will hold a public hearing:
DATE/TIME/PLACE: Monday, April 2, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.
City Hall Council Chambers, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael
PURPOSE: Public Hearing: On April 2 and April 16, 2018, at 7:00 p.m., in
the City Council Chambers located at 1400 Fifth Avenue, the
City Council of the City of San Rafael will conduct Public
Hearings regarding establishing single-member council districts
in which to conduct by-district elections for the City Council
members, and the potential sequence of elections in such
districts. At the public hearing on April 2, the public is invited
to provide input regarding the content of the draft map or maps
and the proposed sequence of elections and the City Council
will consider adoption of an ordinance establishing district-
based elections, the boundaries of the districts and the sequence
of elections for each district. Comments can also be submitted
via e-mail to Lindsay.lara@cityofsanrafael.org. More
information about the establishment of single-member districts
for by-district elections, including draft maps when they become
available, will be included on the City's website at
https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/district-elections. In the event
changes are necessary to the public hearing schedule noted
above, a new notice will be published in accordance with law.
IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND: You may send a letter to Lindsay Lara, City Clerk, City
of San Rafael, P.O. Box 151560, San Rafael, CA 94915-1560.
You may also hand deliver a letter to the City Clerk prior to the
meeting.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: You may contact Lisa Goldfien, Assistant City Attorney, at
(415) 485-3081. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL
/s/ LINDSAY LARA
LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk
CIUDAD DE SAN RAFAEL
AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA
El Concejo Municipal de la Ciudad de San Rafael tendrá una audiencia pública:
FECHA / HORA / LUGAR: Lunes, 2 de abril de 2018 a las 7:00 p.m.
Sala del Consejo Municipal, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael,
CA 94901
PROPÓSITO: Audiencia pública: El 2 de abril y el 16 de abril de 2018, a las
7:00 p.m., en la Sala del Consejo Municipal, ubicada en 1400
Fifth Avenue, el Consejo Municipal de la Ciudad de San Rafael
conducirá audiencias públicas con respecto al establecimiento
de distritos municipales de un solo miembro en los cuales se
llevarán a cabo elecciones para los miembros del Consejo
Municipal, y la posible secuencia de elecciones en tales
distritos. En la audiencia pública el 2 de abril, se invita al
público a proporcionar su opinión sobre el contenido del mapa o
mapas preliminares y la secuencia propuesta de elecciones, y el
Consejo Municipal considerá adoptar una ordenanza que
establezca elecciones basadas en distritos, los límites de los
distritos, y la posible secuencia de elecciones en tales distritos.
También puede enviar sus comentarios por correo electrónico a
lindsay.lara@cityofsanrafael.org. Se incluirá más información
sobre el establecimiento de distritos de un solo miembro para
elecciones por distrito, y borradores de mapas cuando estén
disponibles, en el sitio web de la Ciudad en
https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/district-elections. En el caso de
que sean necesarios cambiar el calendario de la audiencia
pública que está mencionado anteriormente, se publicará un
nuevo aviso de acuerdo con la ley.
SI NO PUEDE ASISTIR: Puede enviar una carta a Lindsay Lara, Secretaria Municipal,
City of San Rafael, P.O. Box 151560, San Rafael, CA 94915-
1560. Usted también puede entregar una carta a la Secretaria
Municipal en persona antes de la reunión.
PARA OBTENER MÁS INFORMACIÓN:
Puede comunicarse con Lisa Goldfien, Abogado Asistente
Municipal, al (415) 485-3081. El horario de oficina es de lunes
a viernes, de 8:30 a.m. a 5:00 p.m.
CONSEJO MUNICIPAL DE SAN RAFAEL
/f/ LINDSAY LARA
LINDSAY LARA, SECRETARIA MUNICIPAL
Title Name Description Submitted
District Elections Dennis Wulkan Is this City Council constitutionally empowered
to make this decision or is that a conflict of
interest? Why wouldn't they give voters a
chance to weigh in on such an important
change? I'm aware some attorneys
threatened a lawsuit, but why isn't the City
concerned about a lawsuit that might arise out
of them making this very decision?
2/7/2018
District Elections Johnson Reynolds You invited public to make suggestion on how
to draw districts - we need map showing
census tract, neighborhood in San Rafael, as
well as population in each census tract,
neighborhood, perhaps other information -
information on race-ethnicity, socio-economic
status, multi-family/single-family homes per
census tract, neighborhood - in order to make
thought-through, serious contribution on how
the districts should be drawn.
2/7/2018
district boundaries Amie Catherine
Stewart Reed
To Chris Skinnell: please communicate to the
demographer that most families that live in
the Bret Harte neighborhood have children
that attend Coleman Elementary School (on
Belle Ave) in the Dominican neighborhood,
and there is a strong sense of community
between the 2 neighborhoods.
2/9/2018
District Elections Dora Knell It is strange the use at-large elections is
described as polarizing.
District elections are polarizing because
emphasis will be on making borders separating
groups determined by race or ethnicity
according to the demands of a stranger. It is
such a lie to claim San Rafael city government
is racist by design. It is especially problematic
because many of those supposedly needing
protection are not eligible to vote. As a long
time citizen of San Rafael I am offended by the
reason such a change is being sought.
3/7/2018
New canal1 Ayla Yaitanes Hello,
Trying to understand this map. There is an
overlay called "new canal 1". I think this is an
attempt to carve out a homogenous
population? If so, I'm confused why there is an
arbitrary bump out for Hillcrest Drive. I live at
10 hillcrest drive and wonder why it may be
included in the canal district?
3/7/2018
Thank you!
Pls include Vista
Marin Dr with
Terra Linda
Richard Hall Vista Marin Dr is a small neighborhood but
more connected community-wise to Terra
Linda (Freitas Parkway) than neighborhoods to
our south as proposed in some of the district
maps.
Over my 10 years involved with the
community, Vista Marin has little concerns in
common with Peacock Gap, Dominican and
areas to our south where ingress/egress is via
Knight Drive through downtown San Rafael.
We are separated from areas to the south by
the Marin Civic Center which is a sizable
distance/boundary to the other
neighborhoods - effectively we are an orphan
district which our representative could
sacrifice/ ignore. By comparison a Terra Linda
representative would be more aligned with
serving our neighborhood.
Neighborhood meetings we have are aligned
around Terra Linda- we never organically have
meetings or issues in common with more
distant neighborhoods to our south.
Can Vista Marin Drive please be included in
the Terra Linda district.
3/7/2018
Keep Vista Marin
with Terra Linda
districts
Harriot Manley Dear officials:In regards to the new districting
proposals for the City of San Rafael, please
note that, as a member of the Vista Marin
community, I strongly urge you to keep our
neighborhood within maps comprising other
Terra Linda communitiess, not Dominican or
Peacock Gap. These would be the green
purple, orange, and olive maps now being
considered. Our homes and our issues are
much more closely linked to others in Terra
Linda rather than communities to south of us.
Thank you.
3/7/2018
Representation Derrick Bell East Terra Linda needs to part of Terra Linda,
not Peacock Gap. Our interests will not be
represented.
3/7/2018
District map for
Brete Harte
Craig Peterson Dear City Gerrymanderer,
Please Include ALL of Brete Harte in our district
parcel by drawing the borders to include
Woodland Avenue and also include the Solar
court Brete Harte neighbor hood homes as
well!
Thank you.
3/9/2018
Proposed district
council maps
Dwayne Warren As a resident of the Bret Harte neighborhood, I
am not happy with any map that would split
our neighborhood. That is any district
boundary that goes down any residential
street. This puts those who live on one side of
the street (e.g. DuBois) in one district and
those on the other side in another. In such
cases neighbors may find that their respective
council representative may have opposing
views on any given topic. Where as the
neighbors themselves may be in solidarity with
one another.
3/10/2018
District Maps William Carney Dear Mayor and City Council, In reviewing the
current maps of potential San Rafael voting
districts, please consider the attached hybrid
of the Green and Purple maps. I believe that
the Green map comes very close to
representing coherent contours for districts 1
and 3. However, it falls short of optimum for
district 4 (by severing the significant eastern
portion of the Canal) and for district 2 (by
leaving out the Montecito/ Happy Valley area
affecting so much of the access to the San
Pedro peninsula). The suggested hybrid
restores these natural boundaries. It meets the
numerical requirements for district 4 by
including a portion of downtown between the
freeway and roughly Lindaro Street (with the
remainder of that census tract going to district
3). It meets the numerical requirements for
district 2 by including the upper Lincoln
Avenue census track (or some portion of it, as
needed). Besides respecting basic geographic
and social communities of interest, I believe
this scheme would help retain a city-wide
perspective for the Council Members elected
from all districts, since each district would
include key territory involved in two issues of
great importance to the future of the City as a
whole: a) the growth and housing potential of
our two half-mile radius Station Areas; and b)
3/12/2018
tidal zones facing the encroachments of sea
level rise. All Council members would have a
significant stake in working together to solve
these issues of importance to the entire city.
Thank you for your careful consideration.
Title Description Submitted
District Elections Dear Councilman McCullough,
As a resident of Baypoint Lagoons, I support
your position that Spinnaker Point should be
included with the Canal area in the same
district. Placing Spinnaker in another district is
an obvious carve-out, or gerrymander, in the
interest of one group. It does not reflect the
daily interaction of the population living in
proposed District 4 of the Canal 2 Map. We
frequent the same businesses, shop at Mi
Pueblo (now Cardenas), and share daily walks
on the Shoreline Path. It would benefit the
Canal residents to participate in civil
government along with the larger community
in this district.
Parking issues are a special concern of
businesses flanking the Canal, but also of
Spinnaker and Baypoint residents. Resolution
requires inclusion of all affected parties.How
would this be helped by having affected
parties split into two different
districts?Dialogue has resulted in a test period
of limited parking hours, and a continued
search for alternative space for secure parking
of workers’ cars.
I have observed your attendance at meetings
on issues related to Canal and Baypoint
Lagoon and Spinnaker Point residents, and
feel that you have correctly assessed the
commonality of concerns for this contiguous
land area in San Rafael.
The Latino population here is intelligent, hard-
working and family oriented. They are and
would be welcome citizens to our country. I
think they would fare well in the District 4
configuration of the Canal 2 or "District
Elections 2” Maps.
Respectfully,
Tommie
2018-03-30
17:05:53 UTC
Tommie Weldon
District Based Elections -
Focused Maps
In reviewing the 5 possible re-districting maps
that are remaining in consideration (i.e. the
"Focus Maps") it looks to me like there is
significant gerrymandering underway here to
'stack and pack' the majority of the City's
Latino voters into one district with every map
except District Elections 2. While I recognize a
root cause for re-districting is that Latino
votes are too diluted under the current at-
large election system, I am disappointed to
see that the focus of the re-districting seems
to be just to concentrate this portion of the
population into one district regardless of
geography, neighborhood boundaries, local
challenges, or other considerations. It is very
short-sighted and operates under the
assumption that our racial distribution will
never change in the City. Over time, we could
see shifts in racial distribution and be left with
districts that don't adequately serve the
interests of minorities OR the neighborhoods.
I would strongly encourage the council to
consider more than just race when drawing
the lines of the districts and think about the
lasting effects on neighborhoods in the long
run. Please consider neighborhood
boundaries, common issues that face areas
within the City, etc. Of the current Focus
Maps, I would advocate for District Elections
2.
2018-03-30
21:08:55 UTC
DJ Allison
District Maps I would like to voice my opinion since I am
unable to attend the meeting on Monday. I
am a new resident of Spinnaker Point and I
believe it would be best to exclude Spinnaker
Point/Baypoint areas from the Canal district
map. We are two very different populations
with very different concerns. We should have
representation that supports us and our
concerns, as well as the Canal population
should have their own representative that
reflects what they want. The only common
concern I have seen is regarding the parking
situation, however, our two groups probably
want to resolve it in very different ways. I
think it would be in the best interest of both
groups to separate them for purposes of the
district maps.
2018-04-01
19:06:05 UTC
Tina daCosta
New Electoral Districts in San
Rafael
Dear Members of the San Rafael City Council:
SUMMARY: As a resident of Spinnaker Point, I
support assigning the Canal area and
Spinnaker Point/Baypoint Lagoons to one
district.
Residents of Spinnaker Point, and probably
Baypoint Lagoons (SP/BL), share many issues
with residents of the Canal area. Examples
are parking, parks maintenance, roads, the
library and community center, flooding and
global warming, status of the berm on which
Starkweather Park is built. The only way to
address these and other issues is to
communicate and to work together. On
parking, for example, I applaud city efforts to
insure that the streets are available to all
citizens, not just the people who happen to
live on a particular street.
If the Canal and SP/BL were to be represented
by different council members, how could we
insure our various voices are heard on such
issues? SP/BL voters and residents would be a
very small part of some other, non-
contiguous, district and the councilor rightly
would have to pay attention to the most
pressing issues of her/his constituency.
Mr. Carrera’s statement concerning latino
voters was shocking to me. I saw in it blatant
racism. Supporting proper representation for
one group cannot mean denying it to another
group. Government is not a zero-sum game.
And what of the non-latino residents, e.g.
Asians and non-hispanic whites, in the Canal
area? Should the councilor for their district
ignore them in order to provide more power
for latinos?
Here is a quote from Wikipedia concerning
gerrymandering in the U.S.:
Begin quote: While the Equal Protection
Clause, along with Section 2 and Section 5 of
the Voting Rights Act, prohibit jurisdictions
from gerrymandering electoral districts to
2018-04-02
00:28:46 UTC
Dennis Papendick
dilute the votes of racial groups, the Supreme
Court has held that in some instances, the
Equal Protection Clause prevents jurisdictions
from drawing district lines to favor racial
groups. The Supreme Court first recognized
these "affirmative racial gerrymandering"
claims in Shaw v. Reno (Shaw I) (1993),[27]
holding that plaintiffs "may state a claim by
alleging that [redistricting] legislation, though
race neutral on its face, rationally cannot be
understood as anything other than an effort
to separate voters into different districts on
the basis of race, and that the separation lacks
sufficient justification". The Supreme Court
reasoned that these claims were cognizable
because relying on race in redistricting
"reinforces racial stereotypes and threatens to
undermine our system of representative
democracy by signaling to elected officials
that they represent a particular racial group
rather than their constituency as a
whole".[27]:649–650[28]:620 Later opinions
characterized the type of unconstitutional
harm created by racial gerrymandering as an
"expressive harm",[13]:862 which law
professors Richard Pildes and Richard Neimi
have described as a harm "that results from
the idea or attitudes expressed through a
governmental action."[29] End quote.
I urge the council to adopt a districting plan in
which the Canal area and SP/BL are included
in the same district.
Sincerely,
Dennis
Note: I am your Monday afternoon volunteer
concierge in the City Hall lobby.
Dividing Up Bret Harte I have looked over the 3 proposed districts
and each of them divide up Bret Harte. We are
a community and should be kept together as
one district.
2018-04-02
12:08:46 UTC
Donna Robertson
Priht
Subject: COMMENTS RE: MAP FOR THE CITY DISTRICT ELECTIONS
From: johnson reynolds (
andrew.mccullough@cityofsanrafael .org; gary.phillips@cityofsanrafael.org;
To: kate.colin@cityofsanrafael.org; john.gamblin@cityofsanrafael.org;
maribeth .bushey@cityofsanrafael.org;
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2018 2: 12 PM
Page 1 of 1
As a member of the Christian faith I cite 2 passages from Christian scripture in support of
what the Voting Rights Law Suit brought to you, asked of you as members of San Rafael
City Council and Mayor of San Rafael.
Matthew 25:31-46 speaks to all the nations, peoples, DARE SAY CITY COUNCILS,
MAYORS, not just to individuals, not just to members of faith communities to , in addition to
'feeding the hungry, giving drink (quenching the thirst) to the thirsty, addressing the needs of
the naked/homeless, the sick, those in prison, to WELCOMING THE STRANGER.
Matthew 15:21-28 speaks to not only giving presence, attention, equal footing to those who
are a part of your religion and culture but giving PRESENCE, ATIENTION, EQUAL
FOOTING to THOSE WHO ~RE NOT A PART OF YOUR RELIGION, YOUR CULTURE.
The intent of the Voting Rights Law Suit brought to you was NOT SIMPLY to have you
MOVE from AT-LARGE to DISTRICT Elections, MAP OUT EQUAL POPULATIONS,
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS in GEOGRPHICALL Y CONTIGUOUS DISTRICTS but
MAP OUT DISTRICTS, A DISTRICT that would GIVE UN-UNDER-REPRESENTED
PEOPLE, in the case of San Rafael, LATINO POPULATION a GOOD, BEST CHANCE of
BEING ELECTED TO CITY COUNCIL.
I support this stated Law Suit's intent. I would say it bespeaks not simply giving 'crumbs,' not
simply giving others voice but ACTUAL EQUAL-FOOTING VOICE to UN-UNDER-
REPRESENTED PEOPLE, LATINOS in DECISION-MAKING that WOULD EFFECT THEM
as VALUED RESIDENTS of SAN RAFAEL as well as EQUAL-FOOTING DECISION-
MAKING in WAHT WOULD EFFECT OTHER RESIDENTS of SAN RAFAEL -in issues of
sea level rise, traffic and parking, housing, services, certainly in issues that effect renters
(Residents of Canal Proper and Lincoln Corridor would be particular together on what effects
them as renters).
The CANAL 1 MAP is still the only map that specifies a district includes MOST PEOPLE OF
VOTING AGE WHO ARE OF a POPULATION that HAS NOT BEEN ELECTED to San
Rafael City Council.
Please stand with giving equal-footing voice, equal-footing voice in decision-making by the
San Rafael City Council, Mayor to 'strangers' seeking to become neighbors in our midst, to
persons may be of a different culture, socio-economic condition than so many of us but wish
to be a vibrant part of out city now and in the future .
John Reynolds, Resident of the Canal, member of San Rafael First United Methodist Church
https:llmail.yahoo.com/neo/launch 3/29/2018
. and .lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap
-,Where I did not saw;' and gather where I did
Iflotscatter? 27Thenyou'ought to have ilivested
, .~lY money with the bankers, and on my return
,I would hav~ recei~ed ~~at ~as my own with
interest. 28 50 take the talent' from him, and
gi\te ~it to the one ·w:ith'the ten talents. 29For to
III those who have, more will be given, and
they will have an aqundance; but from those
· . :~ho have nothing, even what they ,have will be
· ·.~ken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw
him into the outer 'darkness, where there will be weeping and gna'shing of teeth! . ~ ... ,
. .t -J .', •
The Jiidy '!len t 'of the Nf;1t .ions
MAT THE W 25.27 ..... 26.2
you food, or thirsty and gave you somethfug to .
drink? 38 And when was it that we saw Y9u a
stranger and welcomed you, or' naked and gave
you clothing? 39 And when was it that-we saw
you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And
the king will answer them; 'Truly I tell you, just
as you did it to O!1e of the least of ~ese who are
members of my family,· you did it to me:
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You
that are accursed, depart from me into the eter-
nal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
12fod was hungry and you gave me no £Ood, I
was 'thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 1 was a stranger and you did notwelcome~e,
naked and you did not give me "clothing, sick
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his . glory, and in prison and you did not visit me:' 44Then
· -;Wd all the angels with him, then he will sit on : they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we
the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
gathered before him, and he will separate peo~ naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care
,pIe-one from another as '.a shepherd separ~tes of you?' 45Then he will answer them, 'Truly I
, the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the
sheep at his righfhand and the goats at the left. least of these, you did not do it to me: 46And
~Then the king ,will say to those at his right these will go away into eternal punishment, but
hand, 'Come, you thatare blessed by my Father, the righteous into eternal life." .
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry The Plot to Kill Jesus
and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you 26
gave lie something to 'drink, I was a stranger
When Jesus had fiiiished saying all
these things, he said to his disciples,
2"You know that after two days the Passover is
coming, and the Son of Man will be handed
.O\~er ~o be crucified."
and you welcomed me, 36 1 was naked and you
· gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care
pf me, I was · in prispn and yo~ visit~d .me:
~iThen the righteous will answer him, 'Lord,
" when was it that we saw you hungry and gave II. .Gk thtse my brothers
~7 ~"." !t..: .. ~ .. L!,o...,7,f..:~n·~ !.....r :":~;'::-~~';·;'·""il"':u::.;.r~r ..... ,t1':,,~"·':'~~.l -. "·~'~"'t~).t t,;t:.~J-~.c·;.;:!t )"1' .. '; ..-! ~ •. ; .. !-J:;...;;;!I ......... ;~.1 ...... ll ;'I,i ,~., .. ·':;f. >~ z-~
25.29 See 13.12 (doublet). 25.30 Weeping and gnash-
ing-ofteeth. See note on 8.12. 25.31-46 The criteria of
: the final judgment, the author's most powerful and
· dramatic ethical statement (vv. 35-36). 25.31 When
the Son of Man comes, i.e., the Parousia (see note on
• -13.41; 16.27.':'28; 24.29-31), The ·angels with him. See
; Deut 33.2; Zech ·14.5; note on 13.39. Throne of his
glory, his glorioUs throne (see also 19.28; 26.64; Dan
7,13-14; Rev 3.21). 25.32 Nations; Greek ethne can
; mean groups of almost any kind, but especially "peo-
ples" or "nations" (see also 24.9, 14; 28.i9). It most
often refers to groups other than one's own (see note
.on 1.1), thus also "Gentiles" (see 4.15; 6.32; 10.5, 18;
12.18, 21; 20.19. 25). The group is the object of mis-
sionary activity. between the death of Jesus and his re-
turn (see 28.19; see also.Isa 66.18; Rev 21.22-22.5).
Separate ... sheep from the goats. See Ezek 34.17-22;
see note on 3.12. 25.33 Right hand. See 'note on 22.44.
25.34 In Jesus' parables ' the king usually represents
God (see 18.23;.22.2), but here the king is the Son of
Man (see nGte .on 13.41; see also 21.5; 27.11; Rev
17.14).25.35-36 The criteria, are whether a person has
performed works of mercy to · those in great need in
the present world; cf. 9.13a. 25.37 Righteous, here
those who innocently do good works (see 13.43; cf.
1.19). Lord. See note on 7.21. 25.40 Truly I tell you. See
note on 5.18. The least of these, here probably believers
(see 10.40-42; 18.6, 14).25.41 Prepared for the d!!viL
See Rev 20.10.
26.1-28.20 The passion and resurrection narratives
follow the Markan outline and, like· Mark, contain
many allusions to the psalms of lament and to the suf-
feringservant ofIsa 52.13-53.12.26.1-5 Cf. Mk 14.1-
2; Lk 22.r-2; also c£ In 11.47-53.26.1 When Jesus had
finished. The dosing formula to Jesus' fifth discourse
(see note on 7.28).26.2 Passover, a seven-day Israelite
spring festival combined with· the Feast of Unleavened
Bread (see v. 17), celebrating the exodus from Egyptiarl
slavery to freedom (see Ex 12.14-27; 34.18; see also
note on 2.13-15). The term also refers especially to the
period extending from the evening of the first day; the
day of Preparation (27.62), when the lamb was slaugh-
tered at the temple (Ex 12.6), to the ensuing evening
when the meal was eaten, and to the meal itself (see
26.17). Son of Man. See notes on 8.20; 16.21-23.
Handed over; or "betrayed," a key theme; see note on
alone; they are blind guides of the
• And if one blind person guides an-
both will fall into a pit." 15But Peter said
him, "Explain this parable to us." 16Then he
'~e '·yoi.t also still WithrltIt understand-
17Do you not see that whatever goes into
mouth enters the stomach, and ,goes out
the sewer? 18But what comes out of the
proceeds from the heart, and this is
~ ... n.n defiles. 19FoI' out of the heart come evil
Uitentions, murder, adultery, fornication,
-,,,.hptt. false witness, slander. 20These cu:e what
1,;
a person, but to eat with unwashed
does not defIle:'
The Canaa11;ite Wo.man :s Fai.ih
'21 Jesus left that place and went away to the
district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a
€anaanite woman from that region came out
and started shouting, "Have mercy on me,
Son of David; my daughter is tormented
'By a demon." 23But he did not answer her at
all : And his disciples came and urged him, say-
ing, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting
after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to
the lost sheep of the house ofIsrael." 25But she
came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help
me." 26He answered, "It is not fair to take the
childrez)s food and throw it to the dogs." 27 She
said, "fes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the
crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
28Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is
yqur faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed instantly.
~5.15 Peter. See note on 14'.2B. 15.16 Without under-
standing. Cf. note on 13.1-53. 15.17 Sewer, possibly
"latrine." 15.18 Heart. See note on 5.B . 15.19 A vice
list,:widespread in ancient moral discourse (see , e.g.,
l' Cor 6.9-10; Gal 5.19-21; Didache 5.1). IS.21-
28 Cf. Mk 7.24-30: A pivotal story about women; see
note on 9.18-26. IS.21 That place, probably Gen-
nesaret (see 14.34). District of Tyre and Sidon, gentile
territory (see 11.21). IS.22 Canaanite, a scriptural
term for ancient Israel 's pagan enemies (see, e.g.,
);)eut 7.1; cf. Mk 7.26) here used to designate a Gen-
tile. Woman . See notes on 9.18-26; 27.55 . The
Canaanite woman is doubly marginal, a woman and a
Gentile. Lord. See note on 7.21. Have mercy ... Son of
David. See note on 9.27. IS.24 Lost sheep of the house
of Israel, either a group within Israel or all of Israel
(see also 9.36; 10 .6; cf. 28.19). IS.2S She ... knelt, im-
plying worship (see note on 2.2). Lord, help me. Cf.
notes on 9.27; 14.30. IS.26 Children, the Israelites
(see. e.g., Deut 14.1; Isa 1.2). IS.27 The woman per-
sists, controlling the action. Dogs, lit. "small dogs," i.e.,
MAT:.rHEW 15.15-39
Jes~s Cures M~nr P~ople
29 After Jesus . had left that place, he passed
along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the
mountain, where he sat down. 30Great crowds
came to him, bringing with them the lame, the
maimed~ the blind, the mute, and many oth-
ers. They put them at his feet; and he cured
them, ~lS0 that the crowd was amazed when
,they saw the mute speaking, the , maimed
whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.
And they praised the God of Israel.
Feedin9 the Four Tho.usana
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and
said, "I have compassiQn for the crowd, because
they have been with me now for three days and
have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send
them away hungry, for they might faint on the
way." 33 The disciples said to him, "Where are we
to get enough bread in the desert to feed so
great a crowd?" 34 Jesus asked them, "How many
loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, and a few
small fish !' 35Then ordering the crowd to sit
down on the ground, 36he took the seven loaves
and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke
them and gave them to the disciples, and the
disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And all of
them ate and were filled; and they took up the
broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
38Those who had eaten were four thousand
men, besides women and children. 39 After
a Oilier ancient authorities lack of the blind
.t _-... :-
puppies or house dogs, but still a very uncomplimen-
tary term, often used for Gentiles or opponents (cf.
Phil 3.2). Masters: lit. "lords'" (see note on 7.21).
15.28 For another Gentile's faith. see 8.10. Healed in-
stantly. See note on 8.3. IS.29-31 Cf. Mk 7.31-37. A
major healing summary (see note on 4.23-25).
IS.29 Mountain . See note on 4.8. He sat down . See
note on 5.1. 15.30 See 8.17; U.S. IS.31 They praised
the God of Israel . The description of the crowd's re-
sponse suggests that they were not Israelites, but Jesus
has returned to Israelite territory (v. 29). IS.32-
39 Cf.Mk 8.1-10; Jn 6.1-13 . The second feedingmir-
acle; see 14.13-21. IS.32 Compassion. See note on
9.36. Three. See note on 1.2-6a. IS.34, 37 Seven, a
favorite number of the author (see note on 12.45),
here perhaps symbolizing Gentiles (cf. 14.19-20; see
Acts 6.1-6). IS.36 See note on 14.19. IS.38 Besides
women and children. See note on 14 .21 ; c£ Mk 8.9.
IS.39 Magadan . Location unknown; it may be Mag-
dala/Magdalan on the western shore of the Sea of Gal-
ilee (text note a); cf. 27.56, 61; 28.1.