This was one of a run of special meetings on redrawing the city's ward boundaries, held without Mayor Sarmiento, who had left for an off-site event.

Check this moment · 1:21:21

2.4 hours 1 agenda items 1 located in video 34% attributed to a named speaker

Brief

What happened

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

01
The city's demographer walked the council through the competing draft maps and how far each one strays from having equal population in every ward.
1:21:51

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Related agenda item 1
Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
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Member positions

Phil BacerraVoted no
Said he would prefer all seven present, but that a council deliberates with whoever attends and the mayor's absence was beyond their control.
2:12:29
David PenalozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Nelida MendozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
None
2:13:55
Jessie LopezVoted yes
Seconded the request to wait.
2:12:10
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Moved to schedule another special meeting so the full council could be present, saying it was simply fair.
2:12:10
02
Councilmember Phan warned that the city charter requires five of seven votes to adopt a map, and that missing the April deadline would let any resident ask a court to draw the map instead, at the city's expense.
2:03:46

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Related agenda item 1
Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Phil BacerraVoted no
Said he would prefer all seven present, but that a council deliberates with whoever attends and the mayor's absence was beyond their control.
2:12:29
David PenalozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Nelida MendozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
None
2:13:55
Jessie LopezVoted yes
Seconded the request to wait.
2:12:10
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Moved to schedule another special meeting so the full council could be present, saying it was simply fair.
2:12:10
03
Councilmember Hernandez tried to put the decision off until the whole council was present, and his motion failed on a three to three split.
2:13:55

Explore this issue

Related agenda item 1
Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Phil BacerraVoted no
Said he would prefer all seven present, but that a council deliberates with whoever attends and the mayor's absence was beyond their control.
2:12:29
David PenalozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Nelida MendozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
None
2:13:55
Jessie LopezVoted yes
Seconded the request to wait.
2:12:10
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Moved to schedule another special meeting so the full council could be present, saying it was simply fair.
2:12:10
04
The council then voted four to two to narrow the field to maps F and K and the two coalition maps, with Hernandez and Lopez against.
2:17:36

Explore this issue

Related agenda item 1
Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps
Open agenda item →

Member positions

Phil BacerraVoted no
Said he would prefer all seven present, but that a council deliberates with whoever attends and the mayor's absence was beyond their control.
2:12:29
David PenalozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Nelida MendozaVoted no
None
2:13:55
Thai Viet PhanVoted yes
None
2:13:55
Jessie LopezVoted yes
Seconded the request to wait.
2:12:10
Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes
Moved to schedule another special meeting so the full council could be present, saying it was simply fair.
2:12:10

How this brief was made

The current summaries were prepared during an in-session review of the transcripts. This prototype shows only sentences with a timestamp citation. 0 uncited sentences were withheld from this page.

Focus

Where they differed

Splits in votes or reasoning

Split voteon “Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps”2:13:55

The council split evenly on whether to decide anything at all with the mayor absent, and the request to wait failed on a tied vote.

Phil BacerraVoted no2:12:29

Said he would prefer all seven present, but that a council deliberates with whoever attends and the mayor's absence was beyond their control.

David PenalozaVoted no2:13:55

Nelida MendozaVoted no2:13:55

Thai Viet PhanVoted yes2:13:55

Jessie LopezVoted yes2:12:10

Seconded the request to wait.

Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted yes2:12:10

Moved to schedule another special meeting so the full council could be present, saying it was simply fair.

Split voteon “Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps”2:17:36

Two members voted against narrowing the field of ward maps, having just lost the attempt to postpone the decision.

Jessie LopezVoted no2:17:36

Johnathan Ryan HernandezVoted no2:17:26

Voted no, having argued the choice should wait for the full council.

Thai Viet PhanVoted yes2:05:43

Counted which maps already had three or four supporters and proposed elevating those, to build toward the five votes the charter demands.

Phil BacerraVoted yes2:16:12

Restated the motion to keep the publicly circulated coalition maps rather than versions the public had not yet seen.

David PenalozaVoted yes2:11:27

Moved to trim the list so residents could focus on a handful of maps rather than fifty.

Nelida MendozaVoted yes1:37:32

Backed map F as the one that best respects the city's neighbourhoods.

Agenda

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Presentation of Public Testimony and Draft Maps, City Council Consideration and Direction Regarding Draft Maps

1:21:20

Split voteSee member positions →

The demographer explained the rules the new wards have to meet: roughly equal population, contiguous, compact, and keeping neighbourhoods and communities of interest together.1:21:51
He noted the existing wards are already 13 percent out of balance, above the 10 percent generally treated as safe, and that the ward drawn to give Asian residents a realistic chance of electing their candidate came out of a settlement two years earlier.1:21:51
Councilmember Mendoza said she had reviewed every map and would support map F, which she felt respected the city's geographic corners and its neighbourhoods.1:37:32
Councilmember Lopez used her time to correct a claim that she had opposed creating a southern ward, pointing to her support for maps J and J2 which do exactly that.1:54:43
Councilmember Phan set out the stakes of delay, that a court could take over the map and bill the city for the demographer and experts it hired.2:05:43
Councilmember Penaloza moved to keep only the four maps with the most support and drop the rest, seconded by Councilmember Mendoza.2:11:27
Councilmember Hernandez made a substitute motion to hold another special meeting when all seven members could attend, which Councilmember Lopez seconded.2:12:10
Mayor Pro Tem Bacerra said he would rather have everyone present but that a council deliberates with whoever is there, and the substitute motion failed three to three.2:13:55
The original motion then carried four to two, narrowing the field to maps F and K and the two coalition maps for the next hearing.2:17:36