Novato Sanitary District Completed its Transition to Elections by Divisions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2019
Novato Sanitary District (District) has completed its transition to elections by divisions.
Historically, District Board members were elected on an at-large basis with all voters within the District voting for each Board member. After completing demographic studies and a series of five public hearings between April 1, 2019 and June 10, 2019, the District established five electoral divisions in order to transition to Division-based elections in which each Board member is elected by the voters residing in the same voting division as the Board member.
Each of the five electoral divisions complies with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and has a population that is within five percent of 10,624—the ideal population for each of the five divisions. On June 10, 2019, the Board adopted Ordinance No. 121 establishing the election system based on these five electoral divisions.
The District will continue to follow the existing system of staggered four-year terms. with two terms expiring in one even-numbered year (2020, 2024, etc.), and three terms expiring the following even-numbered year (2022, 2026, etc.). The first election by division will occur in 2020.
The transition process began when the District became aware of a number of California public agencies that are transitioning to a by-division election system under the provisions of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA). The District reviewed its options under the CVRA and concluded that adoption of division-based election system is consistent with its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in its role as a provider of public services. Detailed information on the process to transition to division-based elections and maps of the Divisions are available (in English and Spanish) on the District’s website at www.novatosan.com.
For more information about the District, its services, and how it protects the environment, check out our website at www.novatosan.com, email us at info@novatosan.com, or call (415) 892-1694.