County embarks on redistricting process

Colton Courier (CA) - Thursday, May 26, 2011
Maryjoy Duncan

A unique process that only occurs once every ten years is currently under way in the county, and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is earnestly encouraging residents to participate in the 2011 County Redistricting. 

Every ten years at the conclusion of the Census the county is required to review the make up of its five supervisorial districts and if necessary redraw them to ensure they are reasonably equal in population and conform to the Voting Rights Act. 

During a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, County Public Information Officer David Wert declared to the Board that the county's current districts have remained unchanged for decades, and explained that when the current districts were drawn in 2001 they were reasonably equal in population and there was no reason for in-depth review. This is no longer the case in 2011. 

"In order to have equal populations with current census numbers, each district would have to contain 407, 042 residents," Wert said. 

Wert indicated that each district would have to be revised to meet that population target:The current First District exceeds that ideal by 58, 496 and the Second District exceeds it by 22, 955. The current Fourth District is 40, 556 below the ideal, while the Third and Fifth districts are respectively 22, 535 and 18, 360 below. 

County CEO Greg Devereaux declared that the redistricting process was an "opportunity to balance out the districts so that each of the supervisors represent basically the same number of people." The purpose of the workshop held Tuesday was "to establish some base criteria to start from," Devereaux continued, "so that we know what we're evaluating eventual scenarios against. This board has been very clear that they want an open, transparent process with involvement from the community." To facilitate that transparency the county launched a public Web site Tuesday to keep the public informed about the redistricting process:sbcounty. gov/ redistrict. 

This interactive site will contain information on the redistricting process, data on districts and city populations, and will allow for resident input. 

Due to the rarity of such a meeting, Board of Supervisors Chair Josie Gonzales expressed disappointment that chambers was not filled with residents. "We welcome residents to come forward to express their concerns, and hopefully, approval," Gonzales said. 

"We want this process to be open, transparent and friendly." Devereaux added that the redistricting process will provide numerous opportunities that allow for county residents'input, emphasizing the process will be interactive with a format similar to an open dialog. 

Gonzales stressed the importance of marking clear boundaries that will allow residents to make the proper outreach, for example with an animal control issue, would they know to contact county or city animal control. 

"By the time they reach the correct department, they're frustrated, they're angry, they feel people aren't paying attention to them, and there have been a few steps in order to get a very simple point of connection," said Gonzales, who further emphasized that clear boundaries allow residents to have a clear idea of where they live and the services they are entitled to. 

In addition to Tuesday's meeting, staff proposed steps to accomplish the 2011 Redistricting, and those include a public workshop scheduled early-to-mid-June to discuss and develop redistricting scenarios, facilitated by the National Demographics Corporation, retained by the county to assist with the process; a public hearing in late June which the board will provide direction that will lead in the creation of one or more redistricting proposals, also to be reviewed by NDC; a public hearing in July in which the board will consider adopting a redistricting plan; a second reading to finalize the redistricting plan which would go into effect at a date determined by the ordinance. 

Legally the county has until November to have a plan in place, so the county is well ahead of schedule. 

The Board of Supervisors adopted a Criteria for Redistricting resolution at the conclusion of Tuesday's special meeting.