Written by: Skyler Dale
The County of San Diego’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) is hosting pre-mapping public hearings to hear input from residents regarding the redrawing of County District lines. The next hearing is for District 3 on Thursday September 2nd. This hearing is both in-person and virtual.
In November 2008, California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act, authorizing the creation of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new district lines for Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly and State Board of Equalization districts, taking the job out of the hands of the California Legislature and transferring it to the citizens. In 2010, the VOTERS FIRST Act for Congress added the responsibility of drawing Congressional districts to the Commission.
Redistricting takes place every ten years following the federal census. District boundaries are redrawn based on new data and shifting populations. San Diego County’s IRC is entrusted with redrawing the five supervisorial districts to demonstrate equivalent populations, to the extent practical.
One of the greatest powers the people of California have is to elect their own representatives to conduct the business of their government. How the district boundaries are drawn can make the difference between empowering and maximizing your voice or minimizing and muting it. The independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission is committed to drawing fair districts that reflect the people’s best interests, not the incumbent politicians.
Speaking up about your community is critical to ensuring district lines are drawn to keep your community whole to the extent possible and grouped with nearby communities with similar interests. This ensures that your elected leaders hear your voice when making such decisions as the quality and funding of your child’s education or determining your tax rates.
Community input is vital to the success of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC). The CRC relies on Communities of Interest (COI) information to respect the boundaries of those communities during the redistricting process. Speaking up about your community is critical to ensuring district lines are drawn to keep your community whole to the extent possible and grouped with nearby neighborhoods with similar interests. Your input is valuable in shaping the new political boundaries, and it takes just a few minutes of your time.
While there are no clear rules on defining a community of interest, we’ve identified ways for you to describe your community:
- Begin with your county/city.
- Mention the street names and significant locations in your neighborhood to help us identify the parameters of your community.
- What are your shared interests?
- What brings you together?
- What is important to your community?
The next COI public input meeting for San Diego and Imperial Counties is on Thursday, September 2nd, from 3 PM to 7 PM or upon conclusion of business. The location is Escondido Chamber of Commerce, 720 N Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025. No appointment is necessary, however, we highly suggest for those interested in registering for one of the sessions (3:20 PM to 4:30 PM or 4:45 PM to 6:15 PM) at September 2nd COI Input Meeting
Californians can also save time and submit their COI input online at DrawMyCACommunity.org. Other ways to provide input include:
By Email: VotersFirstAct@crc.ca.gov
By Mail: California Citizens Redistricting Commission, 721 Capitol Mall, Suite 260, Sacramento, CA 95814
To Participate via Zoom: Webinar ID: 848 8960 6839 Passcode: 236086
Registration opens 14 days before the meeting and closes at 5 PM two days before the meeting. If you want to register:
- Go to the “Meetings” page and identify the meeting you wish to participate in.
- Click on the COI Input Meeting link “Input Registration/Information.”
- Pick a timeslot to register and click on the link for the timeslot.
- Fill out the form to submit your registration. If you prefer not to provide personal information for registration or all appointment time slots are full, you can call on the day of the event to get in the queue to speak.
Call-in number for public input is (877)853-5247, and the passcode will be posted the day of the meeting. For watching the meeting live, click here.
Image from: The City of San Diego
