Application Deadline: Application period is now closed.
San Mateo County Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Commission
Update: August 3, 2021
The County is seeking applicants who live in District 4 to serve on a commission that will study and make recommendations for possible changes to boundaries for the five supervisorial districts.
District 4 includes the cities of Redwood City, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park (east of El Camino Real) and the unincorporated community of North Fair Oaks. To see if you are eligible, enter your address on our district look-up tool at https://bos.smcgov.org/
The application deadline closes at noon on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021.
The application is available on the County’s website in English, Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog. Applicants can fill out an online form or print and mail a completed form.
This is a once-a-decade opportunity to help influence district boundaries that reflect new population data and demographic changes. The Board of Supervisors is seeking candidates that reflect the diversity of San Mateo County to fill one seat on the Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Commission.
All applications will be forwarded to a committee formed by and composed of local chapter members of the League of Women Voters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.
The League of Women Voters committee will assess applicants based on the following guidance:
- Commissioners must be a resident District 4.
- Elected officials are not eligible to serve on the Commission.
- The selection process will prioritize applicants associated with good government, civil rights, civic engagement, and community groups or organizations that are active in the County, including those active in language minority communities, with the goal of forming a Commission with membership that is geographically diverse and consistent with the County’s emphasis on valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The League of Women Voters will recommend an individual who will automatically be appointed to the commission.
That person will join the 15-member Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Commission.
The Commission will hold a series of public meetings to study the boundaries of the County’s five supervisorial districts. The Commission’s work will be supported by a professional demographer and County staff.
Following an extensive public outreach process, the Commission will recommend draft district boundaries to the Board of Supervisors, which approves and adopts a final map.
It is anticipated that the Commission’s work will be completed by the end of 2021. However, applicants should be willing and able to serve longer if necessary.
Background Information
Every 10 years, following the federal Census, the Board of Supervisors is required by law to ensure the County’s five supervisorial districts remain substantially equal in population.
At a public meeting on January 26, 2021, the Board of Supervisors decided it would appoint an advisory Commission to consider public testimony and input regarding the County’s supervisorial districts and recommend a draft map or maps for adoption by the Board.
The Commission must comply with the following criteria when considering district maps:
- District boundaries must comply with the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- To the extent practicable, district boundaries must be contiguous, so that all parts of a district are connected.
- To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of local neighborhoods, communities of interest, cities, and census designated places must be respected in a manner that minimizes their division.
- District boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by County residents.
- To the extent practicable, district boundaries must be drawn to encourage geographic compactness.
- Districts cannot be drawn for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party.
What district do you live in?
Check on our online tool located here.