Tracy begins multi‑session process to shift to by‑district council elections amid CVRA risk

The Tracy City Council opened a public hearing Oct. 28 to begin a four‑hearing process to transition from at‑large to by‑district elections for council members, a change council adopted as a resolution of intent on Aug. 26, 2025.

City Clerk April Quintanilla told the council the process follows Elections Code section 10010 and the city will hold four public hearings, accept public plans and aim to have draft and revised maps available for consideration so a final ordinance could be adopted in time for the 2026 elections. "During this public hearing, staff recommends that the city council: receive a report from staff and the city's consultant on the districting process, permissible criteria..., provide and receive input from the public on the composition of voting districts before maps are drafted, and request any additional information needed to provide direction on creation of draft plans," Quintanilla said.

Demographic consultant Michael Wagaman described the hearing as the educational session and reviewed the ranked criteria that guide districting under California law: equal population, contiguity, communities of interest, topography and compactness. He emphasized that (1) population targets use adjusted 2020 census data and cannot use registered‑voter counts, and (2) race cannot…