Foster City Community Invited to Participate in Transition to District Elections
For immediate release: October 15, 2024
Contact: Priscilla Schaus, Communications Director/City Clerk, (650) 286-3250, districtelections@fostercity.org
Foster City residents can help shape the future of City Council elections by giving their feedback on the transition to district elections. Foster City currently employs an at-large elections system, in which voters of the entire City elect the five City Council members. A district-based election is one in which the City is divided into separate districts, each with one City Council member who resides in the district and is chosen by the voters in that particular district. For more information and background on this critical transition, please visit www.fostercity.org/districtelections.
Though the City Council already initiated the transition to district elections with a decision on September 3, there is much more work to do – most importantly of which is to adopt a map defining the boundaries where candidates must live to represent a specific district.
There are a variety of ways in which residents can participate in this process and share their opinion:
- Attend a community workshop: The City will host two community workshops addressing the transition on Sunday, October 20, at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, November 13, at 6 p.m. Residents can participate by attending the meeting in-person in the Council Chambers at 620 Foster City Blvd. or on Zoom at https://fostercity-org.zoom.us/j/84647070660. FCTV will also air the workshops on Comcast Channel 27 or AT&T Channel 99, and the sessions will be recorded to be viewed later for those who cannot attend.
- Attend a public hearing: Public hearings will be held at City Council meetings on the following dates: October 21, November 4, and November 18, and December 2. Drafts of district maps will be available for public consideration as of Monday, October 28, and Monday, November 11. All public hearings will take place at a time certain of 7 p.m. Residents can participate by attending the discussions in-person in the Council Chambers or joining the meeting remotely on Zoom. Meetings will also be shown on FCTV as well.
- Fill out a Community of Interest form: The City Council wants to hear from the community on how these boundaries should be drawn, and keeping communities of interest together is a valued criteria in the districting process. Forms are available on the project website to submit virtually, or paper forms can be submitted in-person at City Hall, 610 Foster City Blvd.
- Submit your own map: In the coming days, the project website will feature a mapping tool that allows community members to draw their own district boundary maps. Maps submitted by the community will ultimately be considered for adoption by the City Council alongside those drawn by the City’s demographer.
- Submit a public comment: Community members can share their views on the matter with the City Council by emailing publiccomment@fostercity.org, or by participating in a public hearing. Questions and other feedback can be directed to City staff at districtelections@fostercity.org.
To grant ample opportunities for residents to have their voice heard, City staff will also be conducting a variety of outreach events over the coming weeks and months at community gatherings. Please visit www.fostercity.org/districtelections to see those dates and locations and for more information.
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