East Side Union High holds public hearing on switch to trustee-area elections; consultants outline maps, schedule and public tools

The East Side Union High School District on May 20 held a public hearing on transitioning from at-large trustee elections to trustee-area (district-based) elections, with district staff and its redistricting consultant outlining the legal basis under the California Voting Rights Act, the criteria for drawing trustee areas and a public schedule for workshops and hearings.

The change follows a claim against the district that prompted the board to begin the process earlier this year, Superintendent Vande Zee said. "The board then voted to yes, Respond. Yes. We will begin that trustee area voting process," Vande Zee told the meeting, describing a decision the board already made to start creating trustee-area boundaries.

Redistricting consultant Liz of Redistricting Partners described the law and practical steps for public participation: "There has been no successful defense against [CVRA] ... the fiscally prudent thing is usually to go to districting," she said, and walked residents through the mapping tool and the criteria the district must follow.

Why it matters: moving to trustee-area elections changes who votes for which trustee and requires the district to draw five trustee-area boundaries that will be used for staggered elections starting in 2026. The district presented a schedule and online tools intended to give residents multiple chances to submit community-of-interest testimony and draft maps.

Key details presented and discussed

- Legal framework: Consultants cited the California Voting Rights Act as the driver for the change and noted that courts and settlements have typically favored districts that move away from at-large systems when racially polarized voting claims arise. The consultant also referenced federal Voting Rights Act considerations when analyzing citizen voting-age population (CVAP) data.

- Schedule and deadlines: Draft maps will be posted online June 12. The district will hold workshops on June 9 and June 30 (north and south locations) for hands-on help using the public mapping tool. The next public hearings were scheduled for June 26 (third hearing) and July 15 (fourth hearing); the date of the final hearing will be set later. Because the district obtained an extension, the process will be completed within 180 days rather than the usual 90-day window, the consultant said.

- Public tools and participation: The district confirmed a public mapping portal (Districtr) is available on the district website. The consultant demonstrated how residents can submit community-of-interest statements, save work-in-progress, or publish final maps directly to the public gallery. "You can draw 2 different types of maps... community of interest map... and districted maps as well," Liz said.

- Mapping criteria explained: The consultant reviewed the ranked criteria the district must follow: population equality using 2020 U.S. Census counts (the district may use up to a 10% total population deviation), contiguity, compactness and maintaining communities of interest where feasible. She emphasized that the Fair Maps Act prohibits considering incumbency, political party affiliation or candidacy status when drawing lines.

- Data layers and demographics: The mapping tool will display 2020 census population and citizen voting-age population (CVAP) data used for Voting Rights Act analysis. The consultant showed heat maps for different CVAP groups and said the tool includes high-school attendance boundaries; the district will work to add feeder (elementary and middle) boundaries as overlays later.

Public participation and board process

Trustees and staff encouraged residents to submit community-of-interest forms (available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese) and to attend the workshops for hands-on help. The district said draft maps and any publicly submitted maps will be posted at least seven days before the hearing at which they are considered to allow review.

Public commenters asked that the mapping portal be mobile friendly, that the district host in-person mapping support at schools, and that the district coordinate outreach with feeder districts and city offices. Hongha Huang, activities director at Andrew Hill High School, asked the district to "make map drawing platforms fully mobile accessible" and to "host in person mapping support sessions at school sites," saying many families rely on phones rather than laptops.

Next steps and approval path

The board will review maps developed by its redistricting partner and by members of the public through the posted gallery. The board will select a final trustee-area map at a future meeting; after board approval the maps will be forwarded to the county for implementation ahead of the 2026 elections.

The public hearing on trustee-area elections concluded and the board opened the floor to other public comment items later in the meeting.