Measure U would form independent panel to draw San Mateo County supervisor districts

San Mateo County voters are deciding in the Nov. 3 election on Measure U, a ballot measure that would establish an independent redistricting commission charged with drawing up the boundaries for the county’s five districts instead of the Board of Supervisors itself.

The county is divided between five supervisorial districts that change every 10 years based on population shifts after each federal census so that each supervisor represents about the same number of constituents. While the county used an advisory commission for the 2021 redrawing made up of residents that made suggestions on redrawing district maps, the board still has the final say over the district lines.