Carlsbad, CA
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This page is archived and no longer being updated as of Feb. 22, 2022.
Redistricting is the process of adjusting the lines of voting districts in accordance with population shifts once every 10 years when new census data is available. The goal is to ensure to each district is substantially equal in number of residents.
What does the new map look like?
Community members can take a closer look at the new district boundaries on the city's interactive map viewer. To see the map, check the box next to NDC101c.
When does the new map go into effect?
The new map went into effect as soon as it was approved on Feb. 17, 2022. In the coming weeks, the City Council will update its municipal code to reflect the new map.
Which districts are up for election in 2022?
Council members serve staggered four-year terms. Districts 1 and 3 are up for election this year. Districts 2 and 4 will be up for election in 2024.
How do I know if my district has changed?
Residents can find their district by looking at the new map on the city’s website.
How was the map selected?
The Carlsbad City Council decided to appoint an independent commission to choose a new City Council district map based on federal and state criteria and community input. Commissioners were chosen through a random drawing based on criteria established by the state and the City Council.
The City Council also directed staff to go above and beyond the public outreach required by law to encourage Carlsbad community members to get involved in the process, which happens just once every 10 years, following the Census.
In all, community members submitted more than 75 draft maps for consideration as well as hundreds of ideas about how to adjust district boundaries. The city’s professional demographer created twelve maps through an iterative process that took into account community input and commissioner feedback.
How will the change affect existing City Council members?
Based on where existing City Council members live, the new map will not change their districts. However, their districts will now include some areas that weren’t included previously. Likewise, some areas in their districts previously might now be in a different district. The goal of the new map was to balance out the population among the four districts.
Why did the map need to change?
District lines must be reviewed every 10 years to ensure each district has about the same number of residents based on the latest census data. The City of Carlsbad switched to district elections in 2017 using the latest census data at that time, which was from 2010. The current map reflects changes in population from 2010 to 2020.
Why does redistricting matter to me?
Redistricting will determine which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for the purposes of electing a City Council member. The goal of electing City Council members by district is to give a greater political voice to traditionally underrepresented communities.How many districts are in Carlsbad?
The City of Carlsbad has four City Council members elected by district voters, and a mayor who is elected citywide. Here is a map of the existing districts.What are communities of interest?
A community of interest is a “contiguous population that shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.”
The following elements help define communities of interest:
- Shared interests in schools, housing, community safety, transit, health conditions, land use, environmental conditions, and/or other issues
- Common social and civic networks, including churches, mosques, temples, homeowner associations, and community centers, and shared use of community spaces, like parks and shopping centers
- Racial and ethnic compositions, cultural identities, and households that predominantly speak a language other than English
- Similar socio-economic status, including but not limited to income, homeownership, and education levels
- Shared political boundary lines from other jurisdictions, such as school districts, community college districts, and water districts
Who decides on the new district boundaries?
The Carlsbad City Council decided to appoint an Independent Redistricting Commission to make the final decision about new district boundaries. Seven commissioners and three alternates were selected at random from a pool of 127 applicants in July 2021.
How can the public be involved?
The City of Carlsbad is going beyond what is required by law to ensure community members have an opportunity to provide input into City Council district boundaries. This includes holding public meetings, conducting online surveys and providing tools so residents can create their own proposed district maps. Find out more about involvement opportunities, sign up to receive updates about the process via email, or text "districts" to 760-302-5500 for text updates.
What are the rules for creating district maps?
Under state law, to the extent practicable, district lines will be adopted using the following criteria:
- Council districts shall be geographically contiguous. Touching corners of a map is not considered contiguous.
- The geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest should be respected and included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation in a manner that minimizes its division.
- A “community of interest” is a population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.
- Council district boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents.
To the extent practicable, council districts shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the city. - Council districts shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations and where doing so does not conflict with higher-ranked criteria.
What criteria will the Independent Commission use when approving a new district map?
Federal laws
- Equal Population (based on total population of residents as determined by the most recent Federal decennial census and adjusted by the state to reassign incarcerated persons to the last known place of residences)
- Federal Voting Rights Act
- No Racial Gerrymandering
California criteria for cities
(to the extent practicable and in the following order of priority)
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Geographically contiguous (areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous. Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge, tunnel or ferry service are not contiguous.
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Undivided neighborhoods and “communities of interest” (socio-economic geographic areas that should be kept together for purposes of its effective and fair representation)
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Easily identifiable boundaries
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Compact (Do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people.) Prohibited: “Shall not favor or discriminate against a political party.”
Other traditional redistricting principles
- Minimize voters shifted to different election years
- Respect voters’ choices/continuity in office
- Future population growth
- Preserving the core of existing districts
What are the specific laws that govern how redistricting is done?
Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965
California Voting Rights Act of 2001
Redistricting law for charter cities
Independent Redistricting Commission
What happens if a candidate lives in and is issued nomination papers in a district as it presently exists, but the candidate no longer lives in the district as it exists after the redistricting process?
The city does not anticipate this circumstance will occur as the redistricting process must be completed by April 17, 2022, and the nomination process for the November 2022 election may not begin before July 18, 2022.
How close do population counts have to be in each district to be considered “substantially equal”?
The districts with the largest and smallest populations must be within 10% deviation from one another. There are approximately 113,000 residents in the City of Carlsbad. The ideal population for each district would be 28,000 residents.
Does the census data include the number of Carlsbad residents who are registered voters?
Census data includes all residents, regardless of voter registration, age or legal status. The census data is used to create voting districts by determining the citizen voting age population (CVAP). Anyone who is a resident of the City of Carlsbad and is of voting age (18+) will be counted to create voting districts.
How and why were the current districts decided?
As a result of litigation against the city, the Carlsbad City Council moved from at-large elections to by-district elections and adopted the city’s current voting district map in 2017. The map was drawn by Carlsbad community members through a public involvement process, and the final map was selected by City Council and included in Section 2.04.070 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code.
Are the Redistricting 101 webinars and mapping workshops available for those who were unable to attend?
Yes, you can watch recordings of past meetings on the city website.
How is an independent redistricting commission different from other ways of creating new districts?
California local governments can choose to have their governing body, such as the City Council, redraw their own voting districts. Local jurisdictions can also utilize an Advisory Redistricting Commission or an Independent Redistricting Commission. The Carlsbad City Council chose to appoint an independent commission that will adopt the final district map.
Why was it necessary to draw district lines in 2017 when they are changing again in 2022?
The City of Carlsbad was sued under the California Voting Rights Act in 2017. The City of Carlsbad agreed to move from at-large City Council elections to by-district elections. Based on data from the 2010 Census, the City Council adopted a map of voting districts, which was used in the 2018 and 2020 local elections. Following the 2020 Census, the current district lines must be redrawn to ensure each district has about the same number of residents.
What is the 2020 population of each district?
The population counts are:
- District 1: 25,392
- District2: 30,338
- District 3: 30,338
- District 4: 28,885
Each district should have about 28,738 residents to be balanced.
How do the districts for the State Assembly, State Senate and House of Representative tie into the Carlsbad districts?
While voting districts for state and federal offices attempt to keep entire cities together, those redistricting efforts have little to do with the City’s own redistricting.
How is redistricting affected by the housing plan update?
The redistricting process and housing plan update are concurrent but separate efforts. City voting districts should be configured to take into account future planned population growth. However, only approved but not yet built housing developments would be considered when drawing district lines.
How are electoral district lines related to the city’s quadrants: northwest quadrant, southwest quadrant, northeast quadrant, and southeast quadrant? Is it possible to draw those boundaries as our districts?
Quadrants are part of the city’s growth management program and are related to housing caps. California state law dictates requirements for voting district boundaries and their size. While it would be convenient to utilize the current growth management quadrants, that would not create voting districts that are compliant with state law.
What is the basis for the April 17, 2022 final map adoption deadline?
This deadline was set by the State of California as the date by which California cities and counties with a November 2022 election must have an adopted voting district map.
Why does the census data need to be adjusted?
The FAIR MAPS Act requires California to adjust the census data provided by the federal government by reassigning state and county prisoners to their last known address.
Are the demographics of each census block available for the public to see?
The city’s online map-making tools, Districtr and Maptitude, are loaded with demographic data that is broken down by census block.
Is it required that each district has a section of the coastline as they do currently?
It is not required. When the city moved to district based elections in 2017, the City Council decided it was a priority for each district to have part of the coastline. This year, the Independent Redistricting Commission will decide the district boundaries after considering criteria specified in state and federal law, traditional redistricting principles and community input. The new boundaries may not result in each district having a section of the coastline.
Is there any guidance on communities of interest being contiguous?
Communities of interest are usually a lot smaller than an entire district, so they don’t have to be contiguous. It could be possible that two communities of interest are encompassed in a larger district.
Why can’t we use ZIP codes as a guide for districts?
There are many layers of information that go into creating districts. The first and smallest layer is census blocks, and census blocks don’t always overlap with ZIP codes. In many cases, ZIP codes are big and can be in two different districts, so they are not as indicative as other criteria.
What disqualifies a map?
A map can be disqualified if:
- It is completely out of balance. The smallest and largest district populations need to be within 10% deviation of one another.
- It is not contiguous. All parts of the district should be in direct contact with some other part of the district.
- It goes against feedback that has been provided by the commission or other legal criteria that must be considered and followed.
How were the members of the Independent Redistricting Commission chosen?
The City Clerk Services Manager conducted a random drawing of the qualified applicants at a public meeting to select the commissioners and alternates. All of the applicants were divided into pools by district. Commissioners and alternates were randomly selected until enough applicants were drawn to fulfill the political party criteria.
Are all jurisdictions in California using the same timeline for their redistricting efforts?No. Different jurisdictions are on different timelines. Carlsbad’s final district map must be approved by April 17, 2022. The state of California’s deadline for districts (senate, assembly, etc.) is Dec. 27. San Diego County’s deadline is Dec. 15.
Do City Council districts need to align with local school districts and/or individual school boundaries?
No. Educational and school related groups could be considered communities of interest that would benefit from being kept together in the same City Council district.
School districts are governed by their own elected boards. School districts are going through their own redistricting process at this time, but that is only related to how board members are elected. It does not affect the overall boundaries of school districts or what schools kids in Carlsbad attend.
Can the commission consider the incumbents’ political party affiliation when selecting a map?
Federal and state requirements prohibit the commission from considering political party affiliation. To ensure the commission remains neutral, the city’s demographer does not provide political party information, and it is not available in the mapping tools.
Will maps submitted by the public have the population deviation information?
Yes. All draft maps analyzed by the city’s demographer will include the population deviation and demographic information.
Can the commission choose a map from the public or the city’s demographer?
Yes, the commission can select a map that was created by the public or the demographer.
Why don’t the draft maps indicate the number of each district?
At this point in the redistricting process, the commission is focusing on which communities of interest should be included within the same district boundary. Once the district boundaries are decided, the commission will number the districts consistent with the traditional redistricting principle of minimizing voter shifts to different election years.
Can we add a measure of compactness as part of the demographer’s statistical analysis?
Compactness is difficult to measure. There is no formula to determine each district’s compactness. The city’s demographer will analyze each map to ensure the compactness requirement is met.
Can a census block be split between two separate districts?
While it is not ideal to split census blocks because the associated population and demographic metrics are harder to report, it is sometimes necessary when a census block just does not reflect the natural neighborhood breaks within the City of Carlsbad.
How do we send comments to the commissioners?
You can submit any comments to redistricting@carlsbadca.gov.
Can the city add or change the number of districts?
The City of Carlsbad is required to have four electoral districts. Carlsbad Municipal Code 2.04.060 states that city council members shall be elected on a by-district basis from four single-member council districts.
What is the difference between total population and citizens voting age population?
The total population count is used to ensure each district is population balanced. Citizens voting age population, or CVAP data, is used to review the demographic information of each district. This includes age, race, number of renters, etc. Courts will also use citizens voting age population data when determining whether a voting rights violation, such as racial gerrymandering, has occurred.
When are maps due?
Maps submitted by the deadlines below will be evaluated prior to the corresponding meeting. All maps will be shared with the Independent Redistricting Commission and the public, whether or not they were submitted by the deadline for evaluation.
The last scheduled public hearing about the proposed city district boundaries will be held on Feb. 17, 2022. Although all maps will be available to the commission, only maps received before Feb. 1, 2022 will be analyzed by the demographer. At the conclusion of the public hearing on Feb. 17, 2022, the Independent Redistricting Commission may adopt a resolution approving the final map.
What happens to maps that are submitted after the deadline for each meeting?
Maps submitted after the deadline for each meeting will be shared with the commission at the following meeting. Maps submitted after Feb. 1 will be available to the commission, but will not be analyzed and presented by the city’s demographer.
Is Maptitude the official mapping tool to create maps?
Maptitude is an additional tool that the public can use to create maps. Residents can also use Districtr, paper map kits or an excel spreadsheet to create maps. All map making tools are available on the city’s website.
What is the difference between Districtr and Maptitude?
Districtr is loaded with basic demographic data that is broken down by census block. Maptitude is a more complex online mapping tool that is loaded with more in-depth demographic data.
Why is Districtr not allowing me to color in certain squares?
The census blocks in Districtr are not perfect. Some census blocks are oddly shaped and there is not a way to adjust it on the tool. The small blocks that are unable to be colored may be due to the following reasons:
- The piece of land belongs to the federal government
- No one lives in that section of land
- There is an issue with the tool
Residents are welcome to provide written feedback on boundaries that are unable to be drawn in Districtr by emailing redistricting@carlsbadca.gov.
Is it possible to remove a map that I submitted?
You may request to withdraw your maps by emailing redistricting@carlsbadca.gov and providing us with the names of the name of the map.
When someone submits a map to Maptitude, can they modify it with new census data?
Maptitude was only made available to the public with the official 2020 census data. If you used Maptitude to create your map, you were using the official population data.
What will happen to maps that were made in Districtr with the unadjusted state census data?
The city’s demographer will analyze all maps submitted and compare them with the adjusted census data.
If you would like to make adjustments to your map to ensure it is population balanced, please create a new map with the official population data by clicking the purple button “built out of 2020 blocks.” If you edit your existing map, it will still be using estimated data.
Is there a template that one could lay over the map to be able to read the street names?
The street names are not available for the paper map kits. Residents can see street names and other city landmarks on both Districtr and Maptitude by zooming in on the map.
Contact
If you have questions about the process or want to email input on maps, contact the Office of the City Clerk 760-434-2808 or redistricting@carlsbadca.