GALT, CA (MPG) - The Galt City Council officially picked the map that voters will use when they go to the polls for their first by-district election in 2026, but it will not be the map that council members seemed to favor just a week prior. 

The Council seemed primed to approve a variation of a map submitted by a member of the public referred to as “S.Speer,” but moved away from the idea after determining the map did not tick every box needed to avoid a potential lawsuit. 

The council voted in favor of “Map C” during a special meeting last week that was drawn by the Sacramento-based redistricting firm Redistricting Partners. The only difference is that the Council opted to switch District 4 and District 5 from the original map. 

Council Member Bonnie Rodriguez said the map designed during a “live drawing” at a Council meeting on March 19 was completed without the proper tools and data required to make a map that matched all the criteria under both the California Voting Rights Act and federal statutes.

“We did it population-based, which was one of the No. 1 goals we were meant to shoot for, and we were pretty spot on, so for that it was the best map,” Rodriguez said. “The boundaries looked the best, but it didn’t fit the federal standards.” 

According to state law, each district is required to be within 10% deviation in population from one another; in Galt’s case, about 5,150 residents per district. 

The districts also had to be contiguous, maintain “communities of interest,” be easily identifiable and understandable and keep district “compact.”

Under federal law, the map must have at least one district that has a majority-minority population.  

The map that was drawn on March 19 met the CVRA requirements but did not meet the majority-minority requirement under federal statutes.

Mayor Shawn Farmer said the Council opted to change to one of the original maps drawn by Redistricting Partners to not gamble with a potential lawsuit seeking to challenge the maps. 

“By not going with one of the maps that had a stronger CVAP, which is the majority-minority number – that isn’t something that was required under the CVRA by law – but it was pretty strong amongst the other criteria.” Farmer said. “I think the concern is by not going with one of the maps that did meet all of those criteria we could be opening ourselves up to litigation.”

The map, and the city’s change to “by district” elections, is part of a response to a demand letter sent on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project by Malibu-based law firm Shenkman & Hughes.

 The letter claimed the city’s at-large voting system violated the California Voting Rights Act, which attempts to prevent the disenfranchisement of protected voting groups. 

The letter, which is considered a prerequisite to a potential lawsuit, specifically claimed Galt’s Latino voters were being disenfranchised by the city’s at-large voting system and required the city to present a district map by April 1. 

While some governmental bodies have tried, no agency has successfully defended itself against a similar lawsuit. 

Ones that have attempted to fight them have faced millions in legal costs. 

Since starting the process, the city narrowed down 20 maps to the one approved by ordinance on Tuesday. 

The ordinance also approved the district election sequencing. Districts 1, 3 and 5 are up for election in 2026, while 2 and 4 will follow suit in 2028. 

All council members will serve out their terms before district elections take place.