COMMISSIONER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Individuals interested in serving as a 2021 Advisory Redistricting Commissioner must meet the following qualifications, and members who are appointed to the Commission must continue to meet the qualifications throughout their service on the Commission: 

1. Must be a registered voter in Santa Clara County. 

2. Must not be an elected official of the County, or a family member, staff member, or paid campaign staff of an elected official of the County. 

3. Must have the ability to serve from June through December 2021 and attend all meetings of the Commission. Meetings will occur every other Wednesday from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm from July 2021 through September 2021. From October 2021 through November 2021, meetings will occur weekly on Wednesdays from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. If the deadline to complete the redistricting process is extended, the Commission may extend meetings into December 2021. 

4. Must possess experience that demonstrates the ability to comprehend and apply the applicable State and Federal legal requirements. 

5. Must possess experience that demonstrates analytical skills relevant to the redistricting process and voting rights. 

6. Must have the ability to complete training regarding local government ethics, statement of economic interests (Form 700), analytical skills, voting rights, county profile with demographic information, and mapping software. 

7. May not be a candidate for an elective office of the County or serve as an appointed officer of the County (including service on another board or commission). 

8. May not endorse, work for, volunteer for, or make a campaign contribution to, a candidate for an elective office of the County. 

9. May not serve as an officer of, employee of or paid consultant to: 

• a campaign committee or a candidate for elective office of the County. 

• a political party or as an elected or appointed member of a political party central committee. 

• a currently serving elected officer of the County. 

To ensure a commission reflective of our diverse County, the application includes a demographic survey that will only be utilized to analyze the overall composition of the group and individual identifying information will not be shared publicly.  

SELECTION PROCESS 

The Commission shall be composed of fifteen (15) qualified members, three from each current supervisorial district, appointed as follows: 

1. Five members, one from each supervisorial district, shall be selected at random from a select pool of qualified applications. Applications will be made available by April 28, 2021 and shall be due by June 1, 2021. The pool would consist of one nominee from each supervisorial district selected by the County Counsel, the County Executive, and the Clerk of the Board. Each one of those three officers shall select independently, in that order, and so three nominees shall be in the pool for each supervisorial district for subsequent random selection. The random selection shall be held in public (virtually) by the Office of the Clerk of the Board on June 9, 2021. The randomly selected members shall subsequently be appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Those not selected will be returned to the remaining pool of qualified applications for each respective district. 

2. Five members shall be nominated--one by each supervisor-from the remaining pool of qualified applications from their respective district. Each Supervisor shall nominate, and the Board shall then appoint on June 22, 2021, a member with the goal of diversifying the Commission, with diversity defined across a broad range of demographics, political party, and other social factors and ensuring representation of their respective district. Those not selected will be returned to the remaining pool of qualified applications for each respective district. 

3. In July 2021, five members shall be directly appointed by the ten Commissioners appointed during the first two steps of the process, with one Commissioner selected from a pool of applicants residing in each supervisorial district. These members shall also be appointed with the goal of diversifying the commission, with diversity defined across a broad range of demographics, political party, and other social factors. 

In the event the first 10 commissioners are unable to appoint the final five members by July 30, 2021, the unfilled seats shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Supervisors. Each Supervisor would be responsible for nominating a resident of their respective districts for the unfilled seats for consideration for appointment by the Board as a whole. 

COMMISSION BYLAWS 

The Commission will conducts its meetings in accordance with Elections Code sections 21507, 21507.1, and 21508 and the Ralph M. Brown Act. The Commission shall select a chair and vice chair who will coordinate with County staff regarding meeting agendas. The chair shall preside over meetings, with the vice chair doing so in the absence of the chair. Quorum shall be eight members of the Commission. A quorum is required for the Commission to initiate the transaction of business at any meeting of the Commission. A motion passes only when a majority (8) of the membership seats (not just those members present or those seats that are filled) votes in support of the motion. No Commissioner shall be permitted to vote upon an item unless present (in-person or by teleconference if properly noticed and implemented). Voting by proxy shall not be permitted. The Commission members are prohibited from communicating about redistricting matters outside of a public meeting. This prohibition does not prohibit communication between commissioners , county staff, and consultants that pertain to meeting procedures such as scheduling meetings, preparing the agenda, or questions about the Brown Act, or any communications from or to the Office of the County Counsel. Should input from non-commissioners be submitted to a commissioner outside of a public meeting, commissioners will follow the process established by the County for collecting input, properly posting on the County's website, and notice communications during public meetings. 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 

To be considered, applicants must complete all five pages of the application. Mandatory questions have  red asterisk (*) at the end of the question.  The application is available through Docusign to allow applicants to sign and certify their application submission.

Applications must be submitted no later than 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. No late submissions will be considered. Additional information regarding qualifications or applicable experience may be submitted for consideration in addition to the required application via e-mail to [email protected]. Supplemental information must be received by the deadline.

Applications completed through Docusign will automatically be submitted upon completion. If you need assistance with the application, prefer to download and complete, or would like to obtain a hard copy, please send an e-mail to [email protected]

If you need assistance completing the application, or prefer to complete and submit a hard copy application, please send an email with information on how staff can contact you to provide assistance. 

Applicants will be notified by 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 whether they have met the qualifications. Applicants who have not met the qualifications may elect to provide additional information for review by 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, June 3, 2021. No late submissions will be considered. For those applicants who provide additional information by 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, June 3, 2021, a final decision will be provided to them by 5:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, June 3, 2021.