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HEARING - El Dorado County Surveyor, Registrar of Voters, County Counsel, and the Chief Administrative Office providing a Public Workshop on the 2021 Redistricting Process (Redistricting Public Hearing #4).
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DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND
The United States Constitution requires a count every ten (10) years of everyone residing in the United States. Census data is used for geographically defining state legislative districts in the year following a census. At the conclusion of each United States of America Census process, the County must conduct a process to analyze population data in order to redraw district boundaries to ensure that districts are substantially equal in population as required by the United States Constitution and in compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. According to the 2020 census data, the total county population equals 191,185, which means each of the five supervisor districts in every alternative has a target population of 38,237.
The County must consider the following factors in order of priority:
1. Geographic contiguity
2. Geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local communities of interest.
3. Geographic integrity of any cities or census-designated places.
4. Easily identifiable and understandable districts bound by natural and artificial barriers, including streets and boundaries of the county when practicable.
5. Encouraging geographical compactness so that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations.
The Elections Code also specifies that the Board shall not adopt supervisorial district boundaries for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party. Additional criteria can be considered, as long as they are not in conflict with or outweigh the criteria required by the State and Federal laws. In order to meet these requirements, the County undergoes a process to redistrict following the conclusion of each Census. Before adopting new Boundaries, the Board must hold at least four public hearings or public workshops at which the public can provide input on the composition of the Districts.
In accordance with California Elections Code Sec. 21507.1:
- At least one public hearing shall be held before the board draws draft maps of the proposed supervisorial district boundaries.
- At least two public hearings shall be held after the board has drawn a draft map or maps of the proposed supervisorial district boundaries.
- At least one public hearing or public workshop shall be held on a Saturday, on a Sunday, or after 6 p.m. on a weekday Monday through Friday.
- Public hearing buildings shall be accessible to persons with disabilities.
The County Redistricting Page provides information about this process, including ways to participate, the date and time of the public workshops, videos and minutes from past meetings, and a list of frequently asked questions and answers. Nine draft maps were added to the website for the consideration of the public prior to the October 14, 2021 Public Hearing (Public Hearing #3).
At the October 14, 2021 Hearing, the Board provided direction to staff to move forward with Map Alternative #1, City Map Alternative, but with changes incorporating feedback on Communities of Interest, including the Serrano Homeowners Association area, Carson Creek Specific Plan area, the Divide, Camino, Pollock Pines, and other “historic towns” along the Highway 50 corridor. There was also interest in an alternative that places the Pollock Pines community in a West Slope district rather than in District 5.
This fourth Redistricting meeting will consider new alternatives prepared as a result of the feedback gleaned from the October 14, 2021 meeting. New map alternatives will be provided on the website under “Draft Maps” and on the GIS Redistricting Hub Site. The date, time, and access information for the workshop is being provided by the agenda and on the redistricting webpage more than five days before the hearing or workshop. Public testimony in writing is encouraged, and public comment will take place as part of the workshop. Residents, including those in underrepresented communities and non-English speaking communities, are encouraged to participate in the redistricting public review process.
The workshop will be recorded and the recording will be available to the public on the webpage within two weeks after the public workshop. This is the third in a series of public workshops to inform the community and to receive public input on the redistricting process. The first occurred on June 4, 2021 at 9 a.m. (Legistar Item #21-0917), the second occurred on August 4, 2021 at 6 p.m. (Legistar Item #21-1225), and the third occurred on October 14, 2021 at 6 p.m. (Legistar Item #21-1617).
Following the workshops and the finalization of map alternatives, an ordinance for map adoption will be recommended for approval at a regular Board meeting.