As you are probably aware, the FAIR MAPS Act sets a new bar for inclusive redistricting that respects the integrity of local communities. Thanks to this Act, there are now standardized ranked criteria that the county Board of Supervisors and other governing bodies must adhere to when creating new district boundaries. The new districts must:

1. Be of nearly equal population

2. Comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act

3. Be geographically contiguous

4. Respect communities of interest

5. Respect cities and census designated places*

6. Use recognizable natural and artificial boundaries to the greatest extent possible

7. Be as compact as possible, given the other priorities.

The current Alameda County boundaries only follow one of these new criteria, equal population. Demographics, communities, and neighborhoods have changed over the past decade. To be legally compliant, the new boundaries must be redrawn with substantive changes. The County is currently drafting new boundaries.

The next redistricting meeting (this Tuesday at 6pm) will begin with 2 County "visualizations" maps, one of which will simply be a small update to the current map without substantive changes that reflect COI and the intent of the FAIR Maps Act. The other is a fresh start approach.

There are several ways for you to participate at this point. You can:
give your opinion of either one or both maps

speak to the importance of the ranked criteria

voice your agreement with a previous speaker by either summarizing what was said by speaker ______ or just saying "I agree with what speaker _______ just said"

These are perfectly acceptable ways to give input and we encourage you to do so. We need to have a large presence so that it becomes more and more difficult for the Board to dismiss the community's input. Being present is effective and important; speaking up has much more lasting impact. Numbers of active participants count. We can no longer be the silent compliant majority!

So please participate in as many of these meetings as you can AND send this email to family, friends, neighbors and faith community members who live in Alameda County encouraging them to participate as well.

We are asking you to identify which meetings you can participate in so that we have a sense of which meetings are covered and which need more attendance Feel free to share this sign up link. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/8nXq4ftjjBKr9gcX9

Information about all the upcoming meetings and how to participate can be found here: https://redistricting2021.acgov.org/meetings/

Draft Map feedback meetings:

Special Board Meeting: Tuesday 11/2 at 6 pm (Visualizations (rough ideas))

Special Board Meeting: Thursday 11/4 at 6 pm

Special Board Meeting: Tuesday 11/16 at 6 pm

Special Board Meeting: Tuesday 11/23 at 6 pm

Special Board Meeting: Thursday 12/2 at 6 pm

Adoption of Final Maps

First reading: December 7, 2021 at 12noon

Second reading: December 14, 2021 at 12noon

Remember we have only 45 more days to collaboratively work together to help create a 2021 Redistricted Alameda County district map that reflects the voices of all residents for the next 10 years!!!

If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, please feel free to contact me via email or cell/text.

Your map is your voice,
-Sara

*Census Designated Places are unincorporated (non-city) areas of the County that have distinctive identities (such as Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, Sunol, etc)