The vote is in as City of Galt readies for district elections
The council on Tuesday selected a proposed final map during a fifth and final public hearing that separates the city into five voting districts for the 2026 election.
The map, submitted by a Galt resident and referred to as the "Speer Map," was slightly tweaked by the council before final boundaries were set.
The proposed first council district will encompass the westernmost portion of Galt west of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, while the second district will be made up of the southern end of the city south of New Hope Road.
The third district will include north Galt between UPRR and Highway 99, as well south of Amador Avenue on the eastern side of the highway. It will also include the area adjacent to the eastern side of the highway north of Amador Avenue.
The fourth district will encompass the areas east of Highway 99 to Carllion Boulevard and some neighborhoods south of Amador Avenue.
The fifth district will include the northeastern part of Galt east of Carillion Boulevard.
The city contracted with Sacramento-based Redistricting Partners to help with the process, and Elizabeth Stitt, redistricting manager with Redistricting Partners, the firm assisting the city with the process, said if the map is ultimately selected, the three odd-numbered district seats will be up for election in 2026, and the remaining two in 2028.
"Once 2028 happens, the map is fully adopted," she said. "So there will be two years when you're in a hybrid system of two at-large members and three districted members.
City staff said the map must be published for at least seven days before the council can vote to approve boundaries. The map must be approved before April 1, staff said.
The map is in response to a letter the city received last August claiming Galt's current at-large system of voting dilutes the ability of Latino voters to elect candidates of their choice or to otherwise influence the outcome of an election.
The letter, drafted by the Shenkman & Hughes law firm on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, also claimed the at-large elections violate the California Voting Rights Act, which became law in 2003 and attempts to prevent the disenfranchisement of protected classes. A protected class, staff said, is comprised of voters who are members of a race, color, or language minority group.
City staff said the letter was a prerequisite to having a lawsuit filed against it, and something no other agency has successfully defended.
"No matter what map we have, we have to make a map that's compliant," Mayor Shawn Farmer said. "Obviously we have a lot of growth happening in Galt and these maps — some of these districts are going to be out of whack in the the next two years before our next census."
A date and time for the council's special meeting has not been announced.
To view the proposed map, visit https://tinyurl.com/3k8c58ab
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