The Board shall adopt supervisorial district boundaries that comply with the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10301 et seq.).
- Districts shall be substantially equal in population as required by the United States Constitution
- Districts shall not violate the Federal Voting Rights Act
- No racial gerrymandering
Districts must comply with California state law (Elections Code Section 21500). To the extent practicable and in the following order of priority, the Board shall adopt supervisorial district boundaries using the following criteria:
- Districts shall be geographically contiguous. Areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous. Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge, tunnel, or regular ferry service are not contiguous.
- Districts shall minimize the division of neighborhoods and local communities of interest. A “community of interest” is a population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single supervisorial district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.
- Districts shall minimize the division of cities and census designated places (CDPs).
- District boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents. Supervisorial districts shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the county.
- Districts shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations.
The Board shall not adopt supervisorial district boundaries for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party.