As the City of Irvine continues to pursue its first City Council district formation process, the City is actively engaging residents to ensure their voices are heard in shaping the boundaries of the future City Council voting districts.
Irvine residents will have the opportunity at a special election in March 2024 to vote on whether to expand the City Council to six Councilmembers and shift to district elections. If approved, each voter would vote for one Councilmember to represent the district they live in and continue to vote for an at-large Mayor.
Residents are encouraged to draw and submit proposed voting district maps for City Council consideration in order to share their input on where district lines should be drawn. It is not mandatory for residents to submit complete maps; they can simply draw boundaries for their desired district or highlight what they consider to be their community of interest. Instructions on how to draw and submit a map, along with a video tutorial on how to use the online mapping tool, are available at DrawIrvine.org/Draw-A-Map.
Irvine City Council will review the first set of draft maps at the next public hearing scheduled July 11, 2023, at 6 p.m. The deadline to submit maps for consideration at this meeting is June 29, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. All maps submitted by the deadline will be processed by the City’s demographer and posted to DrawIrvine.org/Draft-Maps no later than July 4, 2023, with a breakdown of demographics of each proposed district. For a full schedule of public hearings and map submission deadlines, visit DrawIrvine.org/Schedule.
The City will host seven additional community workshops to give residents an opportunity to discuss draft maps drawn by the community and provide feedback:
- July 19, 2023, at 6 p.m. – Virtual via Zoom
- August 5, 2023, at 10 a.m. – Quail Hill Community Center, 39 Shady Canyon Dr.
- August 5, 2023, at 2 p.m. – South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, 9 Truman St.
- August 26, 2023, at 10 a.m. – Lakeview Senior Center, 20 Lake Rd.
- August 26, 2023, at 2 p.m. – Irvine Heritage Park Library, 14361 Yale Ave.
- September 23, 2023, at 10 a.m. – Great Park Artist Studio, 8000 Great Park Blvd.
- September 23, 2023, at 2 p.m. – City Council Chamber, 1 Civic Center Plaza
To date, the City of Irvine has held two public hearings and seven community forums to give residents an opportunity to learn more about the districting process and provide feedback on neighborhoods that should be kept together in one voting district. Additionally, the City has provided informational booths at various functions and communities throughout the community.
To learn more about the district formation process and future public participation opportunities, visit DrawIrvine.org.