Under a court order to take public input this month on potential maps for the district-based election of its city council members, the City of Santa Clara is reluctantly moving ahead. Santa Clara’s move comes as the Livermore City Council prepares to hold its first public hearing on the same subject following the receipt of a legal letter in late June demanding the same action. The two cities are among at least 15 Bay Area cities and school districts that have or will make the shift in advance of the November 2018 election including Antioch, Concord, Dublin Unified School District, East Palo Alto, Fremont, Martinez, Menlo Park, South San Francisco, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Vacaville, Vallejo and the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The political motives behind the shifts vary by community and it is impossible to say with certainty how or if the changes will impact the homebuilding industry. Suffice to say, however, it will make the November election trickier to monitor in these communities.
