Gilroy council opts to pursue six districts with at‑large mayor; maps and public workshops scheduled

The Gilroy City Council directed staff and its demographer to prepare draft district maps for a district‑based election system consisting of six council districts with an at‑large, directly elected mayor.

After a presentation by the city’s demographer on legal requirements and criteria for drawing districts under the Fair Maps Act and the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), Council members discussed public outreach and translation services. The demographer reviewed the ranked criteria the Fair Maps Act requires — population equality (roughly equal population across districts, typically under 10% deviation), contiguity, maintaining communities of interest, identifiable lines, and compactness — and described the CVRA’s focus on racially polarized voting and the use of citizen voting‑age population (CVAP) in evaluating potential majority‑minority districts.

The council also reviewed outreach plans. Staff and the demographer said two public workshops would be held for community mapping assistance: March 25 at 7:00 p.m. at South Valley Middle School (multipurpose room) and March 29 at 9:30 a.m. at Christopher High School (library). The demographer said draft maps drawn by staff and submitted by the public would be posted by March 31 and that community‑submitted maps should be turned in by March 30 to be considered at the next public hearing. The city is using Districtr (districtr.org/tag/gilroy) for public mapping; demographers said staff would provide paper maps and translation help at the workshops and that Spanish translation would be available.

During public comment residents and civic leaders stressed outreach accessibility, language services and childcare at workshops to encourage participation. The council heard support for strong public engagement and transparency.

After discussion, a motion by Council member Bracco, seconded by Council member Ramirez, passed with six votes in favor and one abstention (Mayor Bozzo) to pursue six districts with an at‑large mayor so demographers and staff can prepare draft maps under that configuration. The roll call was: Bracco — yes; Klein — yes; Fugazi — yes; Hilton — aye; Marks — yes; Ramirez — yes; Mayor Bozzo — abstain.

The demographer reiterated the schedule: two community workshops (March 25 and March 29), draft maps to be posted March 31, and public hearings (the process requires five meetings under the “safe‑harbor” approach). The council will receive draft maps for discussion at the next hearings and can request adjustments. Staff advised that maps must meet state and federal criteria and that the city must complete the process within statutorily required timelines to remain in the CVRA safe‑harbor and avoid potential legal exposure.

Council members asked staff to increase accessibility for Spanish speakers, to post translated materials and to provide recorded video and translated versions of workshops and hearings for later viewing. Council members also asked staff to publish clear instructions for residents on how to submit communities of interest and drawn maps.