Frequently Asked Questions

A Community of Interest is a group of people in the same geographically definable area who share common social and economic interests. Some examples of Communities of Interest are:

• Senior citizens
• Families with children attending the same schools
• People who live downtown or in a neighborhood
• Dog park community
• Residents who share a common language
• People that use the same transportation systems

Please consider the following questions and criteria when considering your community of interest (for consideration only, no need to provide answers):

1. Does your community have a shared culture, characteristics, or bond?
2. Is your community geographic in nature? Is your community able to be mapped? Is there density within your community?
3. Describe your community’s relationship with the City and how it is affected by policy decisions made by the City Council.

The public can submit any testimony, but it is important to remember that your input can be best used if it addresses all three of these questions. Submit a Community of Interest on our website or download the worksheet.

1. Provide your comments on your community of interest by completing the online Community of Interest Form, or download the worksheet and return it by email cityhall@sonomacity.org or drop off a hard copy to Sonoma City Hall No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA 95476, or attend a public hearing and read your comments to the Council.
2. Attend one of the City of Sonoma City Council public meetings, times and locations to be publicized on the website.
3. Subscribe to receive email updates about the Transition to District-Based Elections on the website.

Districting is the establishment of boundaries for election districts. It determines who can run and who can vote in each district. Candidates and voters must live within their respective election districts. This does not impact city services to the public. The only change the districting process creates is how City Council Members are elected.

Districting only happens once. After City Council boundaries are established, the City will conduct redistricting to balance the district populations following the results of each decennial census, with the next U.S. Census collection being 2030. This ensures that each elected official represents about the same number of constituents. All district lines must be reviewed to meet strict requirements for population equality and voting rights protections in accordance with the Federal Voting Rights Act and the California Elections Code.

Districting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for purposes of electing a City Council member. The City Council is seeking input on the district voting map for the City of Sonoma. Residents will have opportunities to share with the City Council how they think district boundaries should be drawn to best represent their community.

Many factors may be considered, but population equality is the most important. The California FAIR MAPS Act requires municipalities to use a ranked list of criteria to help ensure a transparent and fair process:

• Relatively equal population: a total deviation of less than 10%
• Contiguous: districts should be whole and not jumping over each other
• Maintain communities of interest: established neighborhoods, groups with cultural bonds, common issues or concerns
• Understandable lines: boundaries should be easy to identify and understand, following natural or man-made boundaries
• Compactness: in appearance and function

Community input and Census data will be used to create districts. The City has hired a professional demographer, Redistricting Partners, to help create proposed district boundaries. The community will have access to ‘public mapping tool kits’ to provide feedback on how districts could be drawn. The City’s hired demographer will draft proposed maps that ensure compliance with the Federal Voting Rights Act and the California Voting Rights Act requirements. The City Council will then adopt the final district map by ordinance.

A community of interest is a “contiguous population that shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.” They are the overlapping sets of neighborhoods, networks, and groups that share interests, views, cultures, histories, languages, and values and whose boundaries can be identified on a map. The following are examples of what can be considered communities of interest:

• Shared interests in schools, housing, community safety, transit, health conditions, land use, environmental conditions, and/or other issues.
• Common social and civic networks, including churches, mosques, temples, homeowner associations, and community centers, and shared use of community spaces, like parks and shopping centers.
• Racial and ethnic compositions, cultural identities, and households that predominantly speak a language other than English.
• Similar socio-economic status, including but not limited to income, homeownership, and education levels.
• Shared political boundary lines from other jurisdictions, such as school districts, community college districts, and water districts.

No. Three council members will be elected in 2026, and the remaining two will be elected in the next cycle two years later.

State law does not specify the criteria for choosing which districts go first. If there is a district or community that is typically underrepresented, it could be prioritized. Otherwise, the decision will be made by the City Council.

No. A candidate must live within the district they wish to represent.

If only one candidate runs, that individual will be considered elected to the City Council. If no candidates run for a seat in a district, the situation will be handled in the same way as a vacancy. This will be addressed according to the California Elections Code.

No. The City is required to review and adjust the district lines following each census. We will next review the district maps in 2031 and make changes based on the data received in the census.