FAQs • Contra Costa County, CA • CivicEngage

What are Communities of Interest (COI)?

State law defines a “community of interest” as “a population that shares common social or economic, geographic, or cultural interests that should be included within a single supervisorial district for purposes of its effective and fair representation. Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.”

One of the guidelines for drawing district boundaries is to learn about communities of interest across the County and to the extent practicable, to try to keep community of interest together in a district.

Learn more about Communities of Interest

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Redistricting

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1. What is Redistricting?

Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing the political boundaries for elective offices after the U.S. Census.

Redistricting is the regular process of adjusting the lines of voting districts in response to accordance with population shifts within the County. Every ten years, supervisorial districts must be redrawn so that each district is substantially equal in population. This process is important in ensuring that each Supervisor represents about the same number of people. Redistricting is done using U.S. Census data, which is expected to be released by September 30, 2021.

In addition to being substantially equal in population, any supervisorial district boundaries must comply with voting rights laws. The California Voting Rights Act requires more than 500 jurisdictions in California to redistrict in 2021-2022.

2. Who is responsible for deciding the new supervisorial district boundaries?

In Contra Costa County, the Board of Supervisors is responsible for approving the final map of new supervisorial district boundaries. The effort will be supported by a multi-disciplinary team of staff from the County Administrator’s Office, Elections Office, Department of Conservation and Development, Department of Information and Technology, and other County departments. Ultimately, the Board of Supervisors will take final action on approval of a map that establishes the new supervisorial districts. The Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings and will receive public input. The process will include engagement with communities, including under-represented and non-English speaking communities, through the public hearings and public outreach process that is designed to develop supervisorial district maps that both meet legal requirements and reflect the County’s diversity.

Current Law requires that our redistricting process must be completed by December 15, 2021.

3. Why does redistricting matter to me?

Redistricting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for purposes of electing a member of the Board of Supervisors who represents that district. The County Board of Supervisors is seeking input in establishing the next district map for our supervisorial districts through a public process. You have an opportunity to share with the County Board of Supervisors how you think supervisorial district boundaries should be drawn to best represent your community.

To read more about the process or provide input, please visit Contra Costa Redistricting website at www.CoCoRedistricting.org.

View a timeline of the process on the Timeline and Events page.

You can contact the County Clerk of the Board at [email protected] find out more about how the process works.

4. What do the current Supervisorial districts look like?

You can see the existing districts on the 2011 Supervisorial District Map (PDF).

Use our interactive map to find what district you live in.

5. What criteria will the County Board use when drawing district lines?

District lines must be drawn to ensure the five supervisorial districts are substantially equal in population. Under state law, population is determined based on the total population of residents of the County, as determined by the last Census. To the extent practicable, in accordance with the FAIRMAPS Act (AB 849), and as amended by AB 1276, district lines also must be adopted using the following criteria in the following order of priority:

To the extent practicable, supervisorial districts must be geographically contiguous.
To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest must be respected in a manner that minimizes its division.
To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of a city or census designated place must be respected in a manner that minimizes its division.
Supervisorial district boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents. To the extent practicable, supervisorial districts must be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the County.
To the extent practicable, and where it does not conflict with the any of the above criteria, supervisorial districts must be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not excluded from a district in favor of including more distant populations.

In addition, boundaries cannot be drawn for purposes of favoring or discriminating against any political party.

6. How will the public be notified about redistricting?

The County will notify the public about redistricting hearings and workshops, post district maps online before the maps are adopted, and create a dedicated webpage for all relevant information about the redistricting process. The County will conduct a robust public messaging program and implement a community outreach plan to guide the County’s outreach to local media outlets and members of the public, including under-represented and non-English speaking communities. The County will publicize the redistricting process via social media engagement, press releases, public notices posted at County facilities, advertisements on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) (channels Comcast Cable 27, ATT/U-Verse 99, and WAVE 32), advertisements and notices in newspapers, and information on the County’s dedicated redistricting website. We will work with community groups of all kinds to inform them about the redistricting process.

Live language translation and other accommodations can be provided at our public hearings and workshops if a request for translation or accommodation is submitted at least 72 hours in advance of a scheduled public hearing or workshop.

Request live language translation and accommodations.

7. How can I get involved?

All members of the public are encouraged to share their views about County supervisorial redistricting at any of the public hearings or workshops. There will be redistricting workshops held in each of the five supervisorial districts. The purpose of these meetings is for the County to receive broad public input on the redistricting process. View the Redistricting Timeline and Events page for hearing and workshop dates.

Learn more about public input opportunities for redistricting.

8. Can I submit my own draft map?

The County will be holding both public hearings and workshops to receive public input on how supervisorial district lines should be drawn. You can find the public hearing and workshop schedule on the Redistricting Timeline and Events page.

Members of the public may submit their own proposed redistricting plans or draft maps directly to the County. The input from the public will help the County develop its redistricting plans.

Learn more about submitting your map idea.

9. Do I have to submit a completed map?

No, you can draw boundaries for any part of the County, or just the district where you’d like your neighborhood to be as part of a supervisorial district.

Learn more about submitting your map idea

10. Can I submit more than one map?: Yes!

11. What happens to draft maps submitted by the public?: Once submitted, maps from members of the public are considered public records and will be posted on the website. Your personal information will not be shared on the website.

12. What are Communities of Interest (COI)?

Learn more about Communities of Interest

13. How can I submit a Community of Interest for consideration?

You can also get involved in the Redistricting process to shape the supervisorial districts by

Submit a Community of Interest (COI) using our online mapping application.
Using an online community of interest form
Email us your comments
Mail your comments or letter to:
Clark of the Board, attn: Jami Morritt
1025 Escobar St, 1st floor
Martinez, CA 94553

14. How can I contact the County about redistricting?

Sign up to Receive Email Updates

Subscribe to receive email updates

Submit Comments Using the Online Mapping Tool

Use our easy online mapping tool to:

Draw and submit a map identifying your Community of Interest (COI);
Draw and submit a map of proposed supervisorial district boundaries; or
View tutorials about how to use the online mapping tool
Email our mapping staff or call us at (925) 655-2905 for questions on how to submit a map through the mapping tool.

Submit Comments Using the Online Form Submittal

Submit Comments by Email

Submit public comments by email to the County Clerk.

Additional Questions?

You can contact the County Clerk by email to find out more about how the process works or if you have any other questions.

Media Inquiries

Please contact the Office of Communications and Media via email or at (925) 313-1180.

15. What do the acronyms and categories mean on the demographic sheets?

These are standard categories included in the Census. Not all of the categories are relevant for creating district maps. Acronyms include:

• NH: Non-Hispanic

• VAP: Voting age population

• CVAP: Citizen Voting Age Population

• CVRA: California Voting Rights Act

16. Where can I learn more about redistricting?: There are a number of online publications and guides to redistricting. Visit our Redistricting Resource List

17. What if I do not speak English? // ¿Qué pasa si no hablo inglés?

The County is providing most some redistricting information in Spanish and Chinese (simplified).

FAQs - Spanish
FAQs - Chinese (Simplified)
Redistricting Flyer - Spanish (PDF)
Redistricting Flyer - Chinese (Simplified) (PDF)

If language or other accommodations are needed for a public hearing or workshop, please contact email the Clerk of the Board at least 72 hours in advance of each of the scheduled Public Hearing or Workshop.

If additional language access is needed, please email Clerk of the Board.

El Condado está proporcionando cierta información sobre la restructuración distrital en español y chino (simplificado).