On April 25, the Thousand Oaks City Council adopted a Resolution of Intent (ROI) to consider establishing district-based elections for City Council members. This marks the beginning of the City’s district formation process, which is planned to conclude in July 2023.
Currently, all Thousand Oaks registered voters vote for all five City Council members. Upon completion of the districting process, the City will have separate voting districts. Beginning in 2024, each voter will vote for one Council member to represent the district they live in.
On March 15, the City received a letter challenging the City’s current election system and asserting that the City’s at-large election system violates the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Thousand Oaks is not unique in this situation. Agencies throughout the State have received similar demand letters prompting a shift from at-large to district-based elections.
Residents can get involved by attending public hearings and community workshops, sharing their thoughts on communities that should be kept together in a single district, submitting a map of proposed district lines and eventually providing feedback on other draft maps drawn by the community and National Demographics Corporation, the City’s professional demographer.
As required by law, the City of Thousand Oaks will hold four public hearings:
- May 9, 2023 at 6 p.m. – First Public Hearing, Thousand Oaks Council Chamber
- May 16, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Second Public Hearing, Thousand Oaks Council Chamber
- June 20, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Third Public Hearing, Thousand Oaks Council Chamber
- July 11, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Fourth Public Hearing, Thousand Oaks Council Chamber
In addition, the City will host four community workshops to allow residents to learn more about mapping tools, ensure their community is fairly represented, and connect with others engaged in the district formation process. The schedule is subject to change:
- May 11, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Virtual via Zoom
- June 3, 2023 at 10 a.m. – Conejo Community Center, 1175 Hendrix Ave.
- June 22, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Virtual via Zoom
- June 24, 2023 at 10 a.m. – Borchard Community Center, 190 N. Reino Rd.
Members of the Thousand Oaks community are encouraged to participate in the districting process to ensure district lines respect neighborhoods, history and geographic elements.
The City will be providing Spanish interpretation services at each public meeting. Other language interpretation and requests for disability-related modifications or accommodations, including auxiliary aids or devices, may be arranged by emailing a request to districtelections@toaks.org at least 72 hours prior to each meeting.
To help share information about the district formation process, showcase maps drawn by the public, and collect public feedback, the City of Thousand Oaks has launched a dedicated district formation website: maptoaks.org. The website includes background information about district formation, a schedule outlining public meetings and deadlines, frequently asked questions, resources for drawing maps and details on how to get directly involved in the district formation process. As the process moves forward in the coming months, Thousand Oaks will continue to update the website to include additional information on upcoming meetings and events.
For more information about the districting process, visit maptoaks.org or email districtelections@toaks.org.