The city of Carpinteria has begun transitioning from at-large City Council elections to district elections, a process that will result in five districts represented by one City Council member each. Community members are encouraged to participate in the process, starting with learning more and providing comments about district mapping.

“There will be numerous opportunities for the public to get involved, including a series of outreach meetings scheduled for this month,” said Olivia Uribe-Mutal, program manager for the city. “In this critical phase, we are collecting the ideas and opinions that will shape district boundaries and ensure representation of the smaller communities within our larger community.”

The goal of the process is to have the mapping complete by spring 2022 in order to implement the districts in the election scheduled for November 2022. Data from the 2020 U.S. Census will be taken into account in the mapping process, and the aim will be to create districts that are balanced in size and that protect the interests of the communities within them.

The first series of public meetings will take place in September; organizers have arranged for various days and times to maximize public involvement.

Meetings will be 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20; noon Wednesday, Sept. 22; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26. Attendees are welcome to participate virtually or in person at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave.

Moving forward, a variety of tools will be available for the public to contribute to the district mapping process. These include digital and hard copy maps that residents can use to provide their district boundary suggestions.

Details about meetings, the district mapping process and how to get involved are at www.drawcarpinteria.com.