The City Council readopted its existing council district boundaries on March 21, 2022, completing the post-2020 Census redistricting process. This page is being archived as a record of proceedings for the next ten years as required by California Elections Code § 21628(g).

The city has made mapping tools available to the public so that anyone who wishes to participate in the redistricting process can draw and submit a proposed district map. To allow ample time for Council consideration, draft maps should be submitted no later than March 7, 2022. Maps submitted after that date will not be rejected but may not receive full consideration because of legal deadlines the City must meet.

Paper Mapping Tools:

Printable PDF maps are provided below in English and Spanish. Draw your proposed district boundaries on the paper map or submit any form of hand-drawn map that identifies street names.

An optional Excel supplement is available for those who wish to draw on paper but have population numbers calculated automatically. Using the ID numbers on the paper map, assign each ID number to a district in the Excel workbook. Excel will automatically calculate population and demographics.

Online Mapping Tool:

Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA 2020)

Online Mapping Tool Instructions:

  • To use the online mapping tool, users need to create an account on the Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA) site. To create an account, you will need to enter your email and password, and click “Sign Up” on the left side of the DRA page. Once you are logged in, you will need to click on San Rafael’s Mapping Template link again. The map will take about 20 seconds to load.
  • The new map will load and a paintbrush icon will be on the top left section of the webpage. You will need to create an editable map by clicking on the paintbrush. Click “Yes” when asked if you would like to make an editable copy of the map. After a few seconds, your draft map will appear as “Copy of NDC’s San Rafael Redistricting Template” on the“My Maps” page.
  • To load the editable map, check the box to the left and then click “Edit” at the top of the webpage. It may take some time for your map to load. If the map does not load within one minute, please refresh your browser.
  • Once your map loads, click directly on the paintbrush icon. Then click on one of the color circles on the left hand side of the screen. Once you have selected your color, you can begin grouping sections of the map into districts by hovering your mouse over and clicking on the sections of the map. If you would like to change colors on the map, you can unselect sections by clicking on the circle without color. You can also chose another color circle.
  • As you are forming your districts, please remember that the Ideal District Population is 15,333 per district.
  • When you have completed your map, click “Publish” to make your map visible to others. Then click the “Share” button at the top of the webpage to generate a link to your map. Click “Copy” to copy the link. From here you can paste the link into your email and submit your map.

How to Submit Maps

Submit maps online using the form on the Contact page.​ You can also submit your map in person or by mail . ​All submissions are part of the public record and will be posted in their entirety to the Draft Maps page.

It is helpful if you submit written comments with your map describing how your map was drawn to meet the required criteria. An example of this would be describing the specific neighborhoods or communities of interest that are kept within a single district.

If you would like to submit a map created using your own software, please email to city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org and include: (1) a GIS Shapefile and/or a Census Block equivalency file (using 2020 Census Blocks); and, (2) a description of the choices and key points of your map.