First Goleta Resident to Submit a Map Explains Rewarding Process
Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 21st at 6:00 p.m. to attend our next virtual District Elections Workshop. We are hoping to get as many maps from the public as possible for consideration for the City’s move to district elections for the first time ever. The deadline to submit a map for consideration is January 6, 2022.
City of Goleta resident Bill Woodbridge attended a District Elections workshop and was the first person to turn in his map. He is encouraging others to do the same. He said, “We are lucky to live in a city where they ask you for input, and if they ask you, why wouldn’t you do it? It took me less than 45 minutes to do the map. It was a fun and challenging experience.”
With district elections, the City will be divided into four districts, and voters in each district will elect a City Council member who lives in their own district. The Mayor will continue to be elected by voters across Goleta.
The upcoming District Elections Workshop on October 21, 2021, will be held during the Public Engagement Commission meeting. A link to the meeting will be available on our website at www.CityofGoleta.org/GoletaMeetings prior to the meeting. National Demographics Corporation (NDC) will lead the workshop and provide training on public mapping tools, including live demonstrations of how to use them, as well as offer feedback on any public map submissions. Spanish interpretation will be available.
Don’t want to wait until the workshop to start drawing a map? Watch our “How to Draw a Map” video tutorial featuring Dr. Daniel Phillips of NDC. The video provides step-by-step instructions on how to draw a map using the DistrictR online mapping tool. The City hopes the video will increase public participation by making the process simple and less intimidating. All you need to do is go to your computer, go to DrawGoleta.org, and play the video in English or Spanish. The final state-adjusted Census population numbers will appear in updated mapping tools on DrawGoleta.org in advance of the October 21 workshop. Anyone who already submitted a map using the previous population estimates will be given the opportunity to adjust their map boundaries, if they want, based on the new numbers.
If you prefer to submit your ideas using a paper map, you can pick one up from Goleta City Hall or the Goleta Valley Library during hours of operation. Again, maps are due by January 6, 2022, to be considered.
For more information go to www.DrawGoleta.org. For additional questions, contact cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org or call 805-961-7505. Thank you for your interest and participation in shaping the future of Goleta.
Pictured: Goleta resident Bill Woodbridge with his district elections map, and the first one submitted to the City