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HomeElections CodeDiv. 21Ch. 7Art. 1§ 21603 City District Boundary Adjustments

§ 21603 City District Boundary Adjustments

Elections Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 21603 City District Boundary Adjustments

Key Takeaways

  • •When a city grows by adding new land, the new area gets added to the closest existing council district without changing other district lines.
  • •The city can redraw all council district lines if the new land has more than 25% of the city's population and the next required redistricting is more than 4 years away.
  • •If the new land is small or the next redistricting is soon, the city must just add the new land to the nearest district.

Example

A small town grows by adding a big new neighborhood with lots of people.

If the new neighborhood has more than a quarter of the town's population and the town isn't supposed to redraw its council districts for another 5 years, the town can redraw all the district lines to include the new neighborhood fairly. If the neighborhood is small, it just gets added to the closest district.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 21603 City District Boundary Adjustments

(a) If the boundaries of a city expand by the addition of new territory, including through annexation of unincorporated territory or consolidation with another city, the council shall add that new territory to the nearest existing council district without changing the boundaries of other council district boundaries. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the council may adopt new boundaries for each council district pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 21100) if the boundaries of the city expand by the addition of new territory and if both of the following conditions are met: (1) There are more than four years until the council is next required to redistrict pursuant to Section 21601. (2) The population of the new territory being annexed or consolidated is greater than 25 percent of the city’s population, as determined by the most recent federal decennial census. (Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 343, Sec. 32. (AB 764) Effective January 1, 2024.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

council districtannexationconsolidationredistrictingfederal decennial census

Related Statutes

  • § 21623 City District Boundary Adjustments
  • § 21605 Council District Boundary Changes
  • § 21601 Council District Boundary Adoption
  • § 21606 Council Member Term Protection
  • § 21625 Council District Boundary Changes

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Elections Code. Section 21603.
View Official Source