November 4 Is New Date for Final District Elections Workshop: Public Participation Needed to Help Us #DrawGoleta

Update your calendar with our new date, Thursday, November 4th at 6:00 p.m. (moved from October 21), to attend our next virtual District Elections Workshop. This will be the public’s first opportunity to work with final Census data to draw district elections boundaries. The City’s consultant, Dr. Daniel Phillips with National Demographics Corporation (NDC), will lead the workshop. He will be available to provide training on public mapping tools, including live demonstrations of how to use them with the final Census data, and offer feedback on any public map submissions. Spanish interpretation will be available.

With district elections, the City will be divided into four districts, and voters in each district will elect a City Council member who lives in their own district. The Mayor will continue to be elected by voters across Goleta. The City is hoping to get as many maps from the public as possible for consideration as we move to district elections in November 2022 for the first time ever. The deadline to submit a map for consideration is January 6, 2022.

The upcoming District Elections Workshop on November 4, 2021, will be held during the Public Engagement Commission meeting. A link to register for the virtual workshop is available here: https://tinyurl.com/3cjkabuv.

The mapping tools on DrawGoleta.org have been updated with the final state-adjusted Census population numbers in advance of the November 4th workshop. Anyone who already submitted a map using the previous population estimates may now log in to adjust their map boundaries, if they want, based on the new numbers.

The community is encouraged to begin drawing their maps today and not wait until the workshop. Watch our “How to Draw a Map” video tutorial featuring Dr. Phillips. The video provides step-by-step instructions on how to draw a map using the DistrictR online mapping tool. The City hopes the video will increase public participation by making the process simple and less intimidating. All you need to do is go to your computer, go to DrawGoleta.org, and play the video in English or Spanish.

If you prefer to submit your ideas using a paper map, you can pick one up from Goleta City Hall or the Goleta Valley Library during hours of operation. Again, maps are due by January 6, 2022, to be considered. 

For more information go to www.DrawGoleta.org. For additional questions, contact cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org or call 805-961-7505. Thank you for your interest and participation in shaping the future of Goleta.

Register here for District Elections Workshop.