Written by Justin Culetu
Over the next two years, San Diego’s nine-member redistricting panel will spend $450,000 to redraw the boundaries of the city’s nine districts to better reflect the population and demographic changes of the last decade. Most of the budget will cover the salary and benefits received by the chief of staff of this panel, who has not yet been chosen.
The budget includes $198,411 for the rest of the fiscal year and $252,517 for the new fiscal year starting on July 1st, 2021. A $110,000 yearly salary, as well as benefits that will cost the city $35,000 a year, are expected to be allocated to the panel’s chief of staff with the estimated cost for 18 months at $218,000 for this position. Also part of the budget: $180,000 for consulting, mapping, legal services, and translations as well as $32,000 for advertising, postage, printing, and transportation. In addition, several public hearings are expected to happen during the process.
One member from each of San Diego’s nine council districts were selected in September of 2020 out of 103 applicants. Those members are Valentine Hoy of District 1, Frederick Kosmo of District 2, William MacPhail of District 3, Ken Malbrough of District 4, Alan Nevin of District 5, Mitz Lee of District 6, Justine Nielsen of District 7, Monica Hernandez of District 8, and Thomas Hebrank of District 9.
Based on the data from the 2020 U.S Census, the panel will draw new boundary lines. Federal law requires that the population difference between the most populated district and the least populated district be less than 4.9%. Once the data from the census is received, the panel will have nine months to complete its redistricting process.
This decade’s process is expected to be more efficient compared to the last, as the redistricting commission had to expand from eight to nine districts in 2010. This year the number of districts is expected to stay at nine.
Photo via sdvote.com
