Transition to By-Trustee Area Election System & California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)

UPDATE: 2 Additional Map Options Created

To date, the District has conducted four public hearings as part of the District's transition from "at-large" to "by trustee area" elections.  Based on online feedback and discussion at the map public hearing on June 14th, the demographer created two additional map options – Scenario 4A and Scenario 5.  The original 4 draft trustee area maps will remain under consideration along with the newly released map options – totaling 6 options under consideration. 

Scenario 4A was created in an attempt to follow elementary school attendance areas.  Since the attendance areas cross through or split up Census blocks, it is not possible to keep these areas perfectly intact, but Scenario 4A, thematically, is based on attendance areas to the extent possible.  Scenario 5 was created as north-south “strips.”

All 6 maps are available for review below.

As always, we encourage your continued participation and input during the last and final public hearing on June 28th.  If you cannot attend and wish to review and/or comment regarding the proposed map options under consideration, please submit your comments and feedback to [email protected], via ThoughtExchange, or comment via telephone at 510-537-3000 extension 1211.  All map preference feedback will be relayed to the Board prior to its discussion and adoption of a map option.

We look forward to your continued participation!

Map Options for CVRA Transition from “At-Large” To “By-Trustee Area” Elections

June 5, 2023

Dear Castro Valley Unified School District Community:

As the District continues to move through the process of transitioning to “by-Trustee-area” elections under the legal requirements of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), we have reached a critical point.  The District is releasing four map options to the community for study and input.  All four of the map options being considered meet the legal requirements outlined in CVRA. 

The District is providing three in-person opportunities to the community to review and provide feedback over the next month before the Board of Education votes on June 28, 2023 for a map that will be put into effect for the next Board elections in 2024.

 

This release of map options comes at the end of the “Pre-Map” period wherein the District engaged the community with two public hearings to solicit input before drawing map options. 

 

Each map option for consideration:

1. Meets the equal population requirement (that each trustee area have equal population with up to a 10% variance);
2. Increases the voting power of the largest protected classes in the District (Hispanic/Latino; Asian; and African American) by Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP/eligible voters) in at least one Trustee Area based on up-to-date CVAP statistics compared to District-wide averages – including at least one Trustee Area per map with an Asian plurality by CVAP;
3. Complies with the Federal Voting Rights Act;
4. Respects communities of interest as much as possible;
5. Is compact and contiguous as much as possible; and
6. Follows man-made and natural geographic features as much as possible.

Upcoming Meeting and Hearing Schedule

 

June 12, 2023 – 1st Public Hearing regarding Map Options at 5:00 p.m. during the Governing Board meeting at the District Office Board Room District Office Boardroom, 4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546 or via Zoom at https://cv-k12-ca-us.zoom.us/j/84124649608.  If you are participating via Zoom and would like to address the Board, please complete a “Request to Speak” form via the Google form www.cv.k12.ca.us/publiccomment/ and submit it prior to the start of this agenda item.

 

June 14, 2023 – 2nd Public Hearing regarding Map Options at 6:00 p.m. during the Governing Board meeting at the District Office Board Room District Office Boardroom, 4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546 or via Zoom at https://cv-k12-ca-us.zoom.us/j/84124649608.  If you are participating via Zoom and would like to address the Board, please complete a “Request to Speak” form via the Google form www.cv.k12.ca.us/publiccomment/ and submit it prior to the start of this agenda item.

 

June 28, 2023 – 3rd Public Hearing regarding Map Options at 6:00 p.m. and adopt map option during the Governing Board meeting at the District Office Board Room District Office Boardroom, 4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546 or via Zoom at https://cv-k12-ca-us.zoom.us/j/84124649608.  If you are participating via Zoom and would like to address the Board, please complete a “Request to Speak” form via the Google form www.cv.k12.ca.us/publiccomment/ and submit it prior to the start of this agenda item.

 

The Castro Valley community is invited to attend as many meetings and public hearings as you would like.  If you cannot attend and wish to review and/or comment regarding the proposed map options under consideration, please submit your comments and feedback to [email protected] or comment via telephone at 510-537-3000 extension 1211.  All map preference feedback will be relayed to the Board prior to its discussion and adoption of a map option. 

 

We look forward to your continued participation!

Sincerely,

Parvin Ahmadi 

Superintendent