The California Constitution authorizes a city to adopt a charter by a majority vote of its electors, and authorizes a charter city to make and enforce all ordinances and regulations in respect to municipal affairs. The California Constitution provides that it shall be competent in a city charter to provide for the manner in which, the method by which, the times at which, and the terms for which municipal officers and employees shall be elected or appointed. Existing law establishes criteria pursuant to which charter cities adjust or adopt council district area boundaries, as applicable, for the purpose of electing members of the city council. These criteria encourage council districts to be geographically contiguous and compact, to respect the geographic integrity of communities of interest, as defined, and to have easily identifiable and understandable boundaries. Existing law authorizes the city council of a charter city to establish an advisory redistricting commission to hold public redistricting hearings.
This bill would provide that these criteria do not apply to a charter city that has adopted comprehensive or exclusive redistricting criteria, as defined, in its city charter. The bill would authorize the city council of a charter city to instead establish an advisory body to hold public redistricting hearings. The bill would clarify that if a council assigns the power to adopt new district boundaries to an advisory, hybrid, or independent redistricting commission, the charter city remains subject to the same redistricting deadlines, requirements, and restrictions that are applicable to the council.
Existing law requires a county board of supervisors to record or prepare a written summary of each public comment and board deliberation made at each public redistricting hearing or workshop and to establish an internet web page dedicated to redistricting that includes links to the audio or audiovisual recording and adopted minutes of each public redistricting hearing.
This bill would clarify that a county board of supervisors is required to include on its redistricting web page links to the recording or written summary of each public redistricting hearing and workshop described above. The bill would also make other technical and conforming changes.

Statutes affected:
AB1276: 21508 ELEC, 21607 ELEC, 21621 ELEC, 21627.1 ELEC, 23000 ELEC
02/21/19 - Introduced: 21508 ELEC, 21607 ELEC, 21621 ELEC, 21627.1 ELEC, 23000 ELEC
01/06/20 - Amended Assembly: 21508 ELEC, 21607 ELEC, 21621 ELEC, 21627.1 ELEC, 23000 ELEC