District-based voting to shape Sonoma's political future

Sonoma City Council approved a new district-based election map for the city during the April 2 meeting, marking a significant shift in Sonoma’s political landscape with potential of current council members running against one another.

The ordinance to divide Sonoma into five districts was adopted at the fifth public hearing on the matter, which concluded a redistricting process that began in December and involved several meetings to gather feedback from experts and community members.

The process was prompted by the California Voting Rights Act, which aims to remove at-large election systems that it says weakens minority voting influence. Cities across the state and in Sonoma County have faced costly lawsuits over alleged CVRA violations.

While Sonoma has not faced voting rights legal challenges, council decided to move toward a district-based system to avoid potential of that in the future.



https://www.sonomanews.com/article/news/sonoma-city-district-based-elections-council/