PLACER COUNTY SUPERVISORS - New district may tie Tahoe, Auburn - POPULATION DROP IN LAKE AREA IS FORCING CHANGE

Sacramento Bee, The (CA) - Sunday, July 24, 2011
Ed Fletcher ; efletcher@sacbee.com

Eastern Placer County may see its political influence diminish as the county adjusts political boundaries to accommodate the Lake Tahoe area's shrinking full-time population.

Under tentative redistricting maps, the supervisorial district that includes the north shore of Lake Tahoe will grow to include Auburn. 

"It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the city of Auburn would move into District 5," said Tom Miller, Placer County's executive officer. 

The Board of Supervisors will see the latest maps in early August and hopes to finalize the new boundaries by the end of the month. 

District 5 currently includes the area of North Auburn north of Highway 49 and runs along Interstate 80 east to the Nevada border. 

The shift in boundaries is being precipitated by substantial population growth in Roseville, Lincoln, Rocklin and Granite Bay, while other parts of the county have either remained stable or decreased in population. 

Between the 2000 census and the 2010 count, Placer County grew by nearly 100,947 people, a 40 percent increase. At the same time, District 5's population grew by 1,008 people, or 2 percent. 

County officials say that adding Auburn to District 5's territory is the most logical solution. 

Auburn has been in District 3, where the county supervisor is Jim Holmes. 

At one point, it was believed that District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery and Holmes would have to face each other in an election for a new Auburn-Tahoe district seat. 

County officials avoided that scenario by keeping the southern Highway 49 portion of North Auburn in Holmes' district. 

Executive Officer Miller said keeping the area south of Highway 49 -- where Holmes lives and ran a business -- in Holmes' district was a logical choice. 

Montgomery and Holmes say they are on board with the new boundaries. 

"Given the choices that are out there, it makes sense," Montgomery said. 

Another option was to create an even larger District 5 that encompassed 85 percent of the county land, but Montgomery said that plan was untenable. 

She said she's not expecting an immediate election challenge from an Auburn area politician but that it could happen. 

Holmes seemed to be accepting the shift, but with some sense of loss. His brother, Mike Holmes, serves on the Auburn City Council. 

Both supervisors said that while the north Lake Tahoe area is small in population, it is huge in economic impact. Because of that, the entire board takes an active interest in its affairs. 

Residents "are not afraid to tell us how they feel," Holmes said. "The Tahoe area is very important to Placer County." 

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269. Follow him on Twitter @SB_Ed_Fletcher.