San Mateo Council To Vote On District Elections Map

SAN MATEO, CA — The San Mateo City Council is expected to vote Monday on whether to approve its district elections map as part of a redistricting initiative.

Beginning in Nov. 2022, the city would be divided into five districts. Three of the districts would vote in 2022 for one councilmember who lives in their district, and the other two would vote in 2024.

Previously, councilmembers were elected at-large in San Mateo. If the ordinance passes, future councilmembers must live in the district that they wish to represent.

The decision to switch to district election came after the city received a letter form an attorney asserting that its at-large election system may violate the California Voting Rights Act.

The city held five public hearings before drafting the final map from Aug. 23 through Oct. 14.

During these hearings, the council reviewed the composition and number of districts, provided direction for draft maps to be drawn, incorporated comments and suggestions through the public process and deliberated on various options of the districting map.

The council is expected to vote on the ordinance during Monday’s meeting. Click here for the agenda and here for more information on San Mateo’s redistricting efforts.