El Cerrito city council district election map selection expected July 7
Update: Map selected
Residents citywide will vote for council members for the final time this Nov. 3, when two seats are up for grabs. The council members elected this year will serve for four years, as will the council members after the transition to district elections.
The council indicated at an earlier meeting that it wants to continue its practice of having the council select the mayor, a largely ceremonial role in El Cerrito, rather than electing a mayor separately. The council typically chooses a different member to serve as mayor each year.
At a meeting June 16, the council narrowed the choices for a map of the districts to two options (pictured). If the council does not select one of those two and introduces a variation of either or a brand new map, it will need to share the new map with the public for seven days before it can be adopted.
The city is under a tight deadline. The move to district elections was prompted by a letter from a law firm representing an anonymous resident saying it is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act. To limit its financial liability, the city needed to declare its intent to move to district elections within 45 days of receiving the letter in March, and has 90 days after that April 21 declaration to finish the process.
For more detail on each of the proposed district maps, see the links below. Scroll down for more detail on each district within the proposed map.
At the July 7 meeting, the council is also expected to hear an update on the city’s economic development and affordable housing efforts, but no action will be taken on that item.
Transition to district-based elections is item 3A
Economic development and affordable housing is 4A
More about the Nov. 3, 2026 election
The city’s webpage on district elections
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