Redistricting reform in San Francisco

Redistricting is the process of redrawing political boundaries to determine how communities are represented in government. Districts are redrawn every 10 years at the local, state, and federal levels in order to adjust for population changes revealed by the U.S. Census.

In San Francisco, we redraw the Board of Supervisors district map. The most recent supervisor redistricting process was in 2021–2022. There are 11 supervisor districts in the city. If you live in San Francisco, you live in a supervisor district — look up your current district.

Redistricting affects political power. In San Francisco, redistricting determines who will appear on your ballot and what parts of the city they will represent. Redistricting can affect your community's ability to elect a supervisor who represents your interests and responds to your needs. By participating in local redistricting, you, your neighbors, and your community can have a voice in San Francisco's democracy.

Under current law, a government body called the Redistricting Task Force leads the local redistricting process. 

The San Francisco Charter says the Redistricting Task Force will be convened after Census data is released and the director of the Department of Elections determines that, because of population changes, the city supervisor district map is no longer in compliance with the laws that govern districts. In the 2021–2022 San Francisco redistricting process, because of significant Census delays, an ordinance convened the Redistricting Task Force before Census data was released.

The Redistricting Task Force has nine members. The Elections Commission, the Board of Supervisors, and the Mayor each appoint three members.

The Redistricting Task Force works with government staff and outside consultants to determine how supervisor district lines should be redrawn so the districts comply with various legal requirements. The Redistricting Task Force may make adjustments to district lines based on community input.

The Redistricting Task Force must present the new district map to the Board of Supervisors by April 15 of the year in which the new map will first be used in an election. The Board of Supervisors may not change the map. 

This and more is required by San Francisco Charter Section 13.110(d).

The process the city uses to draw its Board of Supervisors district election map every ten years has many flaws.

Among the most significant problems: Local redistricting laws have not been updated in decades and don’t include many best practices that help create fair maps. The Redistricting Task Force, which draws the supervisor district map, is not truly free of political influence because most members are appointed by elected officials — one factor in the lack of public trust in the process. And, local redistricting laws conflict with California laws, making it impossible for San Francisco to benefit from some key parts of the state’s standardized, fair redistricting requirements.

To bring about the kinds of redistricting reform that San Francisco needs, we must update the relevant laws. There are state bills being considered by the California legislature that would substantially improve local redistricting. Whether or not those bills pass, San Francisco must also change its Charter.

Redistricting is vulnerable to gerrymandering, which is the manipulation of the redistricting process to draw district maps that don't represent the community. 

Sometimes gerrymandering is done to give an unfair advantage to one political party, group, candidate, or incumbent. Sometimes gerrymandering is done to reduce the voting power of people based on their race, ethnicity, culture, language, sexual orientation, economic status, interest group, or other factors. 

Gerrymandering puts political factors ahead of community interests.

A fair map will reflect the diversity of our community. It will be the result of an open, transparent redistricting process with plenty of opportunities for people (like you) to give input. The redistricting process will have a specific timeline, clear steps, and accountability. 

A fair map will include substantially equal population in districts, geographic continuity, and protection from diluting the voting power of a racial or linguistic minority. A fair map will also preserve what are called communities of interest and will keep recognized neighborhoods intact. 

Learn more about the League of Women Voters positions on redistricting.

Assembly Bill 1248

• AB 1248 fact sheet (PDF) 
• AB 1248 text on the California legislative information portal
• AB 1248 bill analysis
• Letter of support for AB 1248, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, California Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters of California, March 13, 2023
• Legal Analysis Memorandum: Assembly Bill 1248, Independent Redistricting Commissions (PDF) by the San Francisco Office of the City Attorney to the Elections Commission, April 24, 2023

Assembly Bill 764

• AB 764 fact sheet (PDF)
• AB 764 text on the California legislative information portal
• AB 764 bill analysis

Advocacy letters

• Recommendations for San Francisco Redistricting Task Force final report, League of Women Voters of San Francisco, Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, and California Common Cause, May 6, 2022

Positions

•  League of Women Voters positions on redistricting

LWVSF does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these articles. They are provided for informational purposes only. A ⭐ indicates the League of Women Voters is included in the article. A 🔹 indicates LWV of California is included.

• "State Supreme Court rules in favor of district elections for local government," Tim Redmond, 48 Hills, September 4, 2023
• "SF's recent redistricting drama might lead to a 2024 ballot measure. Here’s why," J.D. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, August 18, 2023
• "What happened to the big changes to California elections?," Sameea Kamal, CalMatters, July 12, 2023
• 🔹 "Toward a More Perfect Union — California Aims Higher to Ensure Voting Rights," Mark Hedin, Ethnic Media Services, May 3, 2023
• 🔹 "Anti-Gerrymandering Redistricting Reform Gaining Momentum in the Legislature," Press Release, California Common Cause, April 27, 2023
• 🔹 "Two California Assembly Bills to Tackle Gerrymandering," Gabriel Arizon, The San Fernando Valley Sun, April 26, 2023
• 🔹 "ALC Co-Sponsors Three Statewide Bills for a More Inclusive Democracy & Immigrant Justice," Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, April 17, 2023
• 🔹"Who draws the lines? A big push for independent local redistricting," Sameea Kamal, CalMatters, February 16, 2023
• ⭐ "Political Watchdogs Call Out SF’s Turbulent Redistricting Process," Ida Mojadad, The San Francisco Standard, February 1, 2023
• 🔹 "Statewide Investigation of California’s 2020 Local Redistricting Cycle Finds Widespread Gerrymandering to Protect Incumbents, Underscores Benefits of Independent Commissions," Press Release, California Common Cause, January 31, 2023
• "The time has come to reform S.F.’s redistricting process," Fernando Martí, Opinion, San Francisco Examiner, November 28, 2022
• "What San Francisco can learn from the L.A. City Council scandal," Justin Ray, Opinion, San Francisco Chronicle, October 19, 2022
• "Redistricting Task Force members failed to produce records, violated Sunshine laws," Will Jarrett, Mission Local, August 4, 2022
• ⭐ "Redistricting: Task force report urges protection from ‘inappropriate political influence’," Will Jarrett, Mission Local, May 13, 2022

There are local, state, and federal rules that govern redistricting in San Francisco. California allows some exceptions to its redistricting rules for charter cities such as San Francisco. "Redistricting for Community Empowerment: A Legal How-To Guide" (PDF)  by California Common Cause and ACLU is a rich resource on the rules of redistricting.

These are some of the specific rules applicable in San Francisco redistricting: 

Local

• San Francisco Charter Section 13.110(d) regarding supervisorial redistricting
• Ethics Laws That Apply to the City’s Redistricting Task Force, City and County of San Francisco Ethics Commission
• Open government laws, including the Sunshine Ordinance
• San Francisco Administrative Code, Language Access Ordinance: Public Meetings and Hearings, Section 91.7
• From the 2022–2022 San Francisco redistricting process:
  • Sunshine Ordinance Task Force August 8, 2022 Meeting Minutes (PDF), with findings of various failures to respond to requests to produce their records related to redistricting by some members of the 2021–2022 Redistricting Task Force
  • Legal Opinion Memorandum: Vacancy in the Office of District 6 Supervisor (PDF), San Francisco Office of the City Attorney to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors, April 21, 2022
  • Legal Opinion Memorandum: Redistricting–Deadline and Process (PDF), San Francisco Office of the City Attorney to the Redistricting Task Force, April 19, 2022
  • Legal Opinion Memorandum: Voting Rights Act Section 2 Analysis (PDF), San Francisco Office of the City Attorney to the Redistricting Task Force, March 14, 2022
  • Legal Opinion Memorandum: Legal Requirements for Redistricting – 2021 (PDF), San Francisco Office of the City Attorney to the Redistricting Task Force, September 27, 2021
  • Legal Opinion Memorandum: Duties and Obligations of the Redistricting Task Force (PDF), San Francisco Office of the City Attorney to the Redistricting Task Force, September 27, 2021
  • Ordinance 094-21 (BOS File No. 21606) (PDF), convening the Redistricting Task Force and amending the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to require...Statements of Economic Interests (Form 700s), City and County of San Francisco, finally passed by the Board of Supervisors June 22, 2021, approved by Mayor London Breed July 2, 2021 

State

• California Elections Code § 21500–21509 and § 21620–21630 
• California Assembly Bill 849 (Bonta 2019), also known as the FAIR MAPS Act or the Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions Act
• California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA)
• Legal Opinion No. 22-501: Representation by county supervisors after redistricting (PDF), Office of the Attorney General, State of California, July 20, 2022

Federal

• U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), Section 2

• League of Women Voters of San Francisco's information on the 2021–2022 San Francisco redistricting process
• Final report of the 2021–2022 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force (includes statements by the four task force members who voted against the final map, and reports by the Clerk of the Board and the community outreach consultant), May 23, 2022
• SF.gov archive of the 2021–2022 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force (2020 Census)
• Supervisorial districts developed by the 2011–2012 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force, Princeton University Library (includes shapefile and other mapping formats)
• Final report of the 2011–2012 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force (PDF), April 18, 2021
• SF.gov archive of the 2011–2012 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force (2010 Census)
• SF.gov archive of the 2001–2002 San Francisco Redistricting Task Force (2000 Census)