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Public hearing on draft Citrus Heights voting district maps to be held May 23

Sentinel staff report–
The Citrus Heights City Council will hold a public hearing this Thursday to give residents an opportunity to provide feedback on recently released maps that offer a variety of ways to split the city into five voting districts.

Prior story: City publishes 9 draft maps splitting Citrus Heights into voting districts

A May 16 posting on the city’s website said the council may take action regarding the maps following the public hearing, with possible actions including “modification of district boundaries, sequencing of elections, and such other matters as may be related to the formation of City Council districts.”

The public hearing will be held during the City Council’s May 23 council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at city hall. A total of nine draft maps were published on the city’s website last week, which can be viewed online by clicking here.

The council took action in January to begin the transition to district-based elections, following the receipt of a demand letter by a Malibu, Calif.-based attorney, Kevin Shenkman, who said the city’s current method of at-large elections to select council members dilutes the vote of Latino voters and violates the California Voting Rights Act, which favors district-based elections.

Under district-based elections, Citrus Heights will have five voting districts and each council member will be required to live in the district they represent and only be elected by voters of that district.

Final adoption of a district map is slated for June 13, 2019, following another public hearing.

Want to share your thoughts on which map is the best option? Click here to submit a letter to the editor or opinion column for publication.

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