Napa City Council To Hold 4th Public Hearing On Council Districts

NAPA, CA — The fourth in a series of public hearings for the city of Napa's transition to council districts is scheduled to be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. A draft map of the districts, a sequence of election dates, and a proposed ordinance are slated to be presented for public and council feedback.

City staff is scheduled to present a draft map showing four council districts for which council members will be elected in alternate election years. The position of mayor is to be elected by a citywide vote.

According to the city staff report regarding the four proposed council districts:

• The population of each district is substantially equal, with an estimated population deviation of 9.3%.
• The boundary lines were drawn in compliance with the United States Constitution, the California Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act, since they were drawn without discriminatory intent and without using race as a predominant consideration.
• Each district is geographically contiguous. The only portions of districts that are separated by a river or creek are connected by a vehicular and pedestrian bridges.
• No district divides a community of interest. Care was taken to include neighborhoods in one district, to the extent practicable.
• The boundaries of all districts are easily identifiable and understandable by residents. In addition to the City limit lines, the district boundaries rely solely on the most prominent boundary lines in the City: the Napa River, State Route 29, and five major public streets (Redwood, Trancas, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Soscol).
• The districts are geographically compact such that populations are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations. The districts that are geographically largest are also the least densely populated.
• There was no consideration of political parties (pro or con) when preparing the district boundary lines.

Remote Council Meeting / Public Hearing

Because gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited under the state of California's and the county of Napa's coronavirus-related public health orders, the meeting is to be held remotely and the city's Council Chambers are closed to the public.

The meeting agenda is posted here.

Council members are expected to attend the meeting by phone and/or electronically, and the public is encouraged to watch the meeting on local cable TV Channel 28 or view it the meeting livestream on the city's website by going to Napacity.legistar.com and clicking on the "In Progress" button.

Community members may also participate in the meeting by submitting comments in writing or by phone.

Submit Written Comments To Be Read At Meeting

Send your written comments to the City Council before or during the meeting via email to the City Clerk at clerk@cityofnapa.org. If commenting on a particular agenda item on the agenda, identify the item number and letter.

Any comment of 500 words or less (per person, per item) will be read into the record if: (1) the subject line includes "COMMENT TO COUNCIL FOR APRIL 28, 2020 MEETING – PLEASE READ"; and (2) it is received by the City Clerk prior to the time for public comment during the meeting for that agenda item.

Any public comments received that do not specify a particular agenda item number will be read aloud during the general public comment portion of the meeting.

Due to potential technological delays in transmission, the public is encouraged to submit any comments to the City Clerk early, in order to ensure they are received in time to be read into the record.

Submit Supplement Written Comments

Members of the public may submit supplemental written comments to the City Council before or during the meeting, beyond the 500-word limit for comments read into the record, and those supplemental written comments will be made a part of the written record.

Submit Comments Via Phone

Those who would like to provide comments by telephone during the meeting must submit a request to the City Clerk by no later than 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 28. The request may be submitted to the City Clerk by email to clerk@cityofnapa.org or by calling 707-257-9503.

When submitting the request, provide your name, your telephone number (area code first), and the agenda item number and letter you would like to comment on. On the day of the Council meeting, a representative from the City Clerk’s Office will call you to connect you to the Council meeting to allow you to provide your comments to the Council via telephone.

Spanish Interpretation Services

Spanish interpretation services are available but must be requested by no later than 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 28. The request may be submitted to the City Clerk by sending an email to clerk@cityofnapa.org or by calling 707-257-9503. City Clerk staff will then provide a call-in number to participate. The interpretation phone line is for listening purposes only.

Questions

Questions about the meeting can be submitted by email to districts@cityofnapa.org. Also check the city of Napa's District Elections webpage.

During the fifth and final public hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, the Napa City Council is scheduled to adopt an ordinance.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Public Invited To Participate In Remote Napa City Council Meeting
• City Of Napa Invites Public To Help Map Out 4 Council Districts