LAKEPORT — The first of four required public hearings for Lake County’s 2021 supervisorial redistricting plan took place at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors’ special meeting. No member of the public provided input either from the board chambers or via Zoom.
With three more public hearings scheduled in the next two months, county residents can take part in the reshaping of district boundaries to determine the area in which each Board of Supervisor member would be elected. Ideas, suggestions and maps may be submitted to the county staff for consideration before the final district map is approved in December.
Upcoming hearings will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, and 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Board of Supervisors chambers, 255 N. Forbes, St., Lakeport.
This week’s hearing served as an introduction to redistricting, a boundary redrawing process that occurs every 10 years to take into account the geographical district population changes reflected in the latest U.S. Census data. The 2020 U.S. Census data is expected to be available to the county by the end of the month.
“This (redistricting) process requires review of the most recent Census population data and, if necessary, adjustment of the district boundaries to keep them as equal in population as possible, but also allowing for adjustments based on geography, topography and communities of interest, as required under federal and California law,” Atty. Margaret Long said, in her presentation to the BOS.
Long is a partner in Prentice Long, a legal firm contracted by the county last May to provide redistricting consulting services for 12 months.
Long explained that the new district boundaries would need to consider certain criteria included in the Fair Maps Act (AB 849):
- Districts should be geographically contiguous. That means each supervisorial district should have a common border with the next.
- The splitting of neighborhoods, communities or cities ought to be minimized to maintain their integrity.
- The boundaries of natural or man-made barriers, such as river, streets, highways and rail lines need to be followed.
- Lines should be drawn to encourage “geographic compactness,” that is, having a regular shape.
- Lines drawn will neither favor nor discriminate against a political party.
“ Don’t look at political parties, look at geographic makeup,” Long said.
Tomorrow’s public hearing will focus on “communities of interest,” an important part of redistricting, according to Long, who emphasized the value of public participation and transparency of the process.
The California Constitution defines a community of interest as: “a contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation. Examples of such shared interests are those common to an urban area, a rural area, an industrial area, or an agricultural area, and those common to areas in which the people share similar living standards, use the same transportation facilities, have similar work opportunities, or have access to the same media of communication relevant to the election process. Communities of interest shall not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.”
Achieving redistricting that works for all depends on public involvement, which prompted Long to advise residents and other interested parties to attend the public hearings either in person or via Zoom; draw and submit to the county a map of the neighborhood of their vision; and visit the county website at http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/Redistricting.htm for more information.
