Napa City Council transitioned to a district voting model in 2020. Above, Napa City Hall.
The Napa City Council this week approved a resolution formalizing council members’ commitment to governing the city at an “at large” basis—meaning individual council members agree to serve all Napa community members, regardless of the district in which a resident resides.
The resolution comes in the wake of the city’s transition in 2020 from citywide elections to district elections, a system in which the city is divided into four separate geographical districts, and the voters residing in each district vote for one council candidate who also resides in that district. In Napa, the office of the Mayor remains a separate office that is directly elected by the voters citywide.
More cities and school districts have transitioned away from at-large elections in recent years in order to avoid violations to the state Voting Rights Act, which prohibits at-large models in areas where such elections diminish the influence of minority voters. The cities of San Rafael and Novato are among other North Bay jurisdictions that have also adopted the district-election model in recent years.
In committing to govern at an “at large” basis, Napa council members wanted to emphasize that, despite adopting a district-election system in 2020, each elected council member would continue to represent all Napa residents.
“The City Council’s commitment to citywide governance will benefit the community as a whole,” said Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley in an announcement following the Dec. 20 adoption of the resolution. “Together, the City Council and staff are dedicated to a decision-making process that will provide accessible resources and maintain excellent quality of life for all of our residents.”
The resolution stemmed from this year’s series of council workshops, during which the council members discussed the benefits of at-large governance: inclusive customer service, well-balanced allocation of taxpayer resources and overall consistency in services, according to city officials.
“Following the 2020 and 2022 elections, all seated Councilmembers have now been elected by their respective districts,” city officials said in an announcement of the resolution. “In the future, this resolution will be part of materials prepared for City Council candidates and during the City Councilmember onboarding process.”
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