Supervisors Get Earful On Redistricting Proposals
Riverside County residents voiced opposition today to proposed changes to supervisorial district boundaries based on the last census, focusing their criticism on a plan to remove several neighborhoods from one supervisor’s longtime domain.
The first public hearing on the Redistricting Steering Committee’s “working maps” was dominated by residents from the city of Riverside’s Arlanza, Eastside and Casa Blanca communities, which have been part of Supervisor Bob Buster’s District 1 for decades.
The steering committee’s two proposals for redrawing district boundaries include splitting up Riverside between districts 1 and 2 — the latter represented by Supervisor John Tavaglione.
Under Proposal “A,” Tavaglione’s district would encompass the area of Riverside north of Arlington Avenue and west of the 60/91/215 interchange, while a section of the city between the 91 freeway and UC Riverside would remain in District 2.
Under Proposal “B,” everything north of Arlington in Riverside would become part of the first district, and the university area would go to the second district.
According to the committee, efforts were made to avoid stretching dividing lines across cities, but the size and population of Riverside posed too great a challenge.
Christina Duran criticized the proposed divisions, which would separate the Casa Blanca and Eastside neighborhoods.
“Our families are deeply intertwined,” she told the board. “We hold cultural events and work on socioeconomic problems together. I appreciate Supervisor Tavaglione wanting to take us. But we don’t know him.”
Andrea Jones praised Buster’s work on behalf of minorities and said keeping the neighborhoods intact, within his district, was a matter of “social justice.”
The board will hold a second public hearing on July 12.
Between last October and May, the redistricting committee met 14 times to solicit public input and discuss how to redraw the five supervisorial districts based on the 2010 U.S. census.
In March, figures from the decennial headcount showed Riverside County had swelled by more than 644,000 people — an increase of 42 percent — between 2000 and 2010, the fastest population growth in California during that period.
The committee came up with two working maps based on topography, geography, contiguity and “communities of interests” within the districts. The new boundaries will determine the shapes of supervisorial districts for the next 10 years.
The proposed changes are generally the same for districts 3, 4 and 5.
The target for each supervisorial district is 437,928 residents. That number is not supposed to vary by more than 10 percent between the least and most populated districts. However, the redistricting committee capped the margin at 5 percent.
According to county officials, to stay within the targeted range:
— Buster’s District 1 boundaries would need to be changed to add another 15,601 residents;
— Tavaglione’s District 2 would need to add 30,657 people;
— Supervisor Jeff Stone’s District 3 would need to drop 79,925 residents;
— Supervisor John Benoit’s District 4 would need to add 41,349 people; and
— Supervisor Marion Ashley’s District 5 would need to shrink by 7,683 residents.
Under the redistricting plans, Benoit’s district would expand to include Desert Hot Springs, North Palm Springs and an unincorporated area on the eastern approach to the Coachella Valley — all of which are currently in the fifth district.
Redistricting is required under state law after every 10-year census.
The board is slated to approve the boundary changes by Sept. 30. If no agreement is reached, however, the issue goes to the district attorney, assessor and county superintendent of schools, who will be tasked with making a decision on adjustments by Dec. 30.
