Elections
District Election Process
Red Map Adopted
On March 14, 2024 the City Council adopted the “red” map as the new by-district elections map for the 2024 and future City Council elections.
District based elections will be held for districts 2 and 4 in 2024 and for districts 1 and 3 in 2026. Elections will be held thereafter every four years. The Mayor will continue to be elected citywide every four years, with the next election being held in 2026.
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District Elections Process
The City of McFarland, like dozens of cities and school districts across the state, is working to make a change in how voters elect its City Council. Beginning with the 2024 Council election, voters will vote for one City Council Member who lives in and represents their district.
What prompted the change in elections?
The City Council initiated the change from at-large to District elections on November 30, 2023 by adopting a Resolution of Intention (Resolution 2023-141) which started the process for consideration of the formation and election by district for future City Council elections. The City Council decision was self-initiated to avoid any potential threats of litigation, which have cost other cities millions of dollars in settlement fees to attorneys.
What is the timeline?
The adoption of the Resolution of Intention initiated a 90-day process to receive input and ultimately adopt the final district boundaries. The City will conduct five public hearings as noted below:
| Step | Description |
|
Two Initial Public Hearings December 14 & January 11 |
Held prior to release of draft maps. Education and to solicit input on the composition of districts. |
|
Release draft maps January 18 |
Maps must be posted at least 7 days prior to 3rd hearing. |
|
Third Public Hearing January 25 |
Meeting to discuss and revise the draft maps and election sequence. |
|
Final Public Map Deadline January 29 |
Deadline for map submissions from the community for Public Hearing 4. |
|
Release revised maps February 1 |
Maps must be posted at least 7 days prior to 4th hearing. |
|
Fourth Public Hearing February 22 |
Meeting to discuss the draft maps and election sequence; selection of preferred map and introduction of ordinance. |
|
Map adoption March 14 |
Map adopted via ordinance. Final map must be posted at least 7 days prior to adoption. |
Information from public hearings?
The following are copies of the presentations from the first 2 public hearings held on December 14, 2023 and January 11, 2024.
Draft Maps
The draft maps, prepared by the City’s demographer NDS, under consideration for Public Hearing #3 on January 25, 2024 are listed below.
|
Map |
Posted |
| Yellow | January 17, 2024 |
| Green | January 17, 2024 |
| Purple | January 17, 2024 |
| Orange | January 17, 2024 |
| Red | February 13, 2024 |
Pursuant to Election Code 21130(b)(1), consistent with the districting body’s existing obligations under the federal Voting Rights Act, the City Council has determined that it is possible to create four election districts in which a protected class is sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single-member district, as set forth in Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. 30 (1986), and as interpreted in case law regarding enforcement of the federal Voting Rights Act with respect to redistricting. All draft maps have four majority-Latino Districts.
Next Steps
The public may provide input into the proposed maps at the next public hearing scheduled for January 25, 2024 City Council meeting. Input can also be provided via e-mail to psaldana@mcfarlandcity.org.
The public may also propose new maps by January 29, 2024 by sending them to psaldana@mcfarlandcity.org.
Contact Us
City of McFarland
401 W. Kern Avenue
McFarland, CA 93250
Phone: 661-792-3091
Fax: 661-792-3093
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