Dublin City Council To Vote On Final Election District Map

DUBLIN, CA — The Dublin City Council will hold its final meeting Tuesday evening to determine the city’s new district election boundaries and make a final decision. The city has held four public meetings and conducted an extensive public outreach campaign to help determine its boundaries.

At the most recent public hearing on July 16, council members listed their top three out of 15 possible choices. At the end, council members voted to approve Map 112, one of the maps submitted by a resident using an online mapping tool. However, council members asked consultant demographer Kristen Parks to bring them back a revised version of 112 that moves a trapezoidal offshoot east of Village Parkway from District 1 to District 2 due to concerns that it would unnecessarily break up the neighborhood. Council members also wanted to give more population to District 2, where Santa Rita Jail and FCI Dublin are located.

Parks said that the trapezoid contained over 1,000 residents and could shift the population deviation between districts, but said she would bring back a modified draft for consideration.

"I think it would be good for us to bring back a revision because I think it's important for us to see the population because Santa Rita Jail's in number 2," City Manager Linda Smith said.

As the map currently stands:

• District 1 extends from the western edge of the city to 680, then extends north of Amador Valley Boulevard to Brighton Drive, then follows Village Parkway to the city's northern edge, swerving around Dublin High.
• District 2 extends east to Hacienda Drive, then roughly follows Tassajara Creek to the city's northern edge.
• District 3 is bounded roughly by Hacienda Drive to the west, Gleason Drive to the north, I-580 to the south, to Creek Road in the east, with a jagged, snaky border near Valley Vista Drive that is partly due to irregular census blocks, according to demographer Kristen Parks.
• District four comprises the remaining northwestern part of the city.

All districts except District 3 extend from the city's northern to southern border.
In February, the city voted to transition to a district-based election system starting in 2024 after receiving a letter from a law firm accusing the city of a "racially polarized" at-large voting system. Pleasanton and Livermore received similar letters, and have also transitioned to district-based elections.

The November 2022 elections will still be at-large. District elections will not begin until 2024.

The hearing will air at 7 p.m. Anyone wishing to watch or participate can visit the Dublin City Council Chamber (100 Civic Plaza), or view the meeting on Zoom. The meeting recording will be posted the following morning here.