Lassen County2011 Supervisorial

Reapportionment Public Hearing

Lassen County Courthouse – Photo courtesy of Couso Technology & Design

2010 FEDERAL CENSUS

• The United States Constitution directs Congress to count the total population in a federal census every ten years to determine representation in Congress.

• Equal population is the primary criteria for reapportioning Congressional districts.

California Citizens Redistricting Commission

"Fair Representation―Democracy At Work!"

2008 and 2010 Voters FirstRedistricting Initiatives Passed by Voters

Created New Rules and Criteria

• Establish a 14 member Citizens Redistricting Commission.

• Transferred authority to the commission for statewide district lines.

• Commission must conform with strict, nonpartisan rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population that provide fair representation.

Citizens Redistricting Commission

• State Assembly • Senate Districts• State Board of Equalization • US House of

Representatives

California StateAssembly Districts Senate Districts

California StateBoard of Equalization Districts Congressional Districts

ad hoc 2011 Reapportionment Committee

(in alpha order)

• Jenna Aguilera, Development Specialist, Economic Development

• Maurice Anderson, Director of Planning & Building Services• Kenneth Bunch, Assessor• Julie Bustamante, County Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters• Richard Crabtree, County Counsel• Richard Egan, Treasurer-Tax Collector• Baden Falkowski, Deputy Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters

LOCAL JURISDICTIONS Local governments are also required to

examine their district lines every ten years.

California Elections Code Section 21500-21506 sets the criteria for establishing boundaries of Supervisorial districts.

• Contiguity• Preservation of Cities and Counties/ Respect for

Communities of Interest• Incumbent Protection• Compliance with Voter Rights Act (VRA)

Our Goal

• Adjust the boundaries of any or all of the supervisorial districts so the districts are as nearly equal in population as possible (allowing for a 5% deviation approved by the Department of Justice).

• Keep districts contiguous.• Keep districts compact.

REAPPORTIONMENT TIMELINE• Sept. 13, 2011 - First Public Hearing:

Today we will begin to receive public comment;Ask for possible direction to staff;If necessary, continue the Public Hearing.

• Sept. 27, 2011 – Next Scheduled Public Hearing:Receive additional public comment;and possibly make a final decision.

• October 25, 2011: Last opportunity for board to make a decision. Reapportionment must be completed by November 1, 2011.

• Elections Code 21502: Requires a Supervisorial Redistricting Committee to draw the lines before December 31, 2011.

1960 Supervisorial DistrictsPopulation

• Dist. 1 Westwood1,525 11.21%

• Dist. 2 Susanville8,066 59.29%

• Dist. 3 Honey Lake2,632 19.35%

• Dist. 4 Big Valley 1,028 7.56%

• Dist. 5 Madeline Plains352 2.59%

1963 Court Ordered Supervisorial Boundary Changes

Lassen County Ideal Population per Supervisorial District

• 19,288 Voting age population less prison population

• 3,858 per District

• Department of Justice (DOJ) approves a 5% Deviation - Range 3,665 to 4,051

Current Population per DistrictLassen County’s current Population per Supervisorial District (according to the 2010 Census):• District 1 - 3,294

564 under Ideal Population

• District 2 - 4,203345 over Ideal Population

• District 3 - 4,001143 over Ideal Population

• District 4 - 4,120262 over Ideal Population

• District 5 - 3,670188 under Ideal Population

A Little More History1975 Supervisorial Districts 1980 Supervisorial Districts

Major Shift in Districts 3 & 51990 Supervisorial Districts

2000 Minor Changes

CRITERIAJudicially recognized traditional districting principles:

• Compactness of TerritoryDistricts shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness. Compactness reflects the notion that districts should be composed of a tightly defined area so that representatives may be able to more efficiently communicate with their constituents.

• ContiguityContiguity requires that all parts of a district must be connected.

•Preservation of Cities and Counties/ Respect for Communities of InterestThe geographic integrity of any city, county, local neighborhood, or local community of interest shall be respected in a manner that minimizes their division.A community of interest is a contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.

Incumbent protectionThe term of office of any supervisor who has been elected shall not be affected by any change in the boundaries of the district from which he or she was elected.

• Compliance with Voter Rights ActFederal voting rights laws prohibit disenfranchising minority groups with common racial, ethnic or language interests.

It is the Committees Opinion that District 5 does not meet this Criteria

Suggested Plan #3 has the least impact on the voting population.• Splits Precinct 422 by adding 231 voters into District #2, and removing them from District #4

• Moves precincts 215 and 222 into District #1

• No changes to Districts #3 & #5

• Leaves District #5 Very Large Geographically

Suggested Plan #2

• Moves Eagle Lake entirely into District # 4

• Brings the districts closer to historical boundaries

• Makes District #5 more geographically compact

• Shifts the South portion of District #5 into District #3

• Brings District #5 into the City

• Adds a highly populated area(Johnstonville) to District #1, whichcould be considered a violation of“the geographic integrity of any city,county, local neighborhood, or localcommunity of interest (Westwood)….in a manner that minimizes theirdivision.”

The Committees’ Recommendation which is ADVISORY only.• Makes District 5 more geographically compact• Restores districts closer to historical boundaries•Changes the supervisorial representative for a large number of the population

In Conclusion• All decisions are that of the Board of Supervisors.

• Reapportionment must be completed before November 1, 2011.

• Additional Information: We currently have more than 5 precincts with a voting population between 700 and 1000.

• In an effort to keep precinct population balanced, precincts with a population well over 500 will be divided into a smaller size. This will not effect any districts, including Supervisorial.