While a seven-member panel is in charge of mapping out Chula Vista’s first voting districts, a constitutional rights organization is educating residents about the districting process.
The American Civil Liberties Union has hosted several community meetings at the two west Chula Vista libraries along with a presentation at Southwestern College informing the public of the effects that come with districting.
“What we’re trying to do is maximize the community’s participation in the districting process,” said Jonathan Stein, a voting rights attorney for the organization.
“We’re trying to educate people about districting and get them participating in the districting process so that the districting commission draws a good line that respects communities and neighborhoods.”
Stein said he supports Chula Vista moving toward district elections
“I think it leads to a city council that’s more accountable to local neighborhoods and more responsive to local neighborhoods,” Stein said.
Voters passed Prop. B in November 2012, which changed the city’s voting process from an at-large election to district-wide elections.
Districting commissioner chairman Jerome Torres said the main goal is to make sure the districts are split up fairly.
“Bottom line is whatever we undertake has to be equitable and fair,” he said.
“My job as the chairperson is to make sure everybody’s voice is heard and that the process is transparent and open.”
In the current at-large format, voters elect four city council members, a city attorney and the mayor. With the new district elections, which take place in 2016, the mayor and city attorney will still be elected at-large while voters elect only one councilmember who they think best represents their district.
The district lines will be redrawn every 10-years based on Census data.
The goal is to have the boundaries established by July 2015 in time for the 2016 elections.
The commissioners consist of three Asian-Pacific Islanders, three Hispanics and one caucasian. Men are the majority with four commissioners and woman round out the final three.
Torres is the only commissioner to live in west Chula Vista, an area with a lower economic status than the eastside.
Most of the commissioners live in the Rancho Del Rey area.
At 59 percent, Chula Vista’s population is predominantly Hispanic, with 20 percent of its residents being caucasian, 14 percent Asian and Pacific Islander and only four percent are black.
Stein said in an at-large election system, candidates tend to run from the neighborhoods that have more resources and have a higher income or are well connected in the community.
Stein said with at-large elections it puts council members in a bind because they are in charge of policy making for the entire city, including under represented neighborhoods that they may be unfamiliar with.
In district elections, the elected council member has an understanding of the issues and concerns of the area, Stein said.
“There is going to be someone on the city council who knows your neighborhood, who knows your community,” he said.
Another benefit he said is that a neighborhood may only be 10 percent of the city, but with drawn districts that 10 percent can represent 50 percent of a city council district. That is if the districts are drawn out correctly, Stein said.
If the district map is not drawn correctly, Stein said, then district lines might be drawn down the middle of the 10 percent neighborhood. As a result, a neighborhood will make up a small percentage of the city council.
Torres said he heard Stein’s position on districting at last month’s meeting. Torres said the ACLU provided commissioners with a “best practices handbook.”
Stein said he has no concerns with the commission.
“So far they are doing OK; we don’t have any accusations, nothing like that. They’re doing OK,” he said. “I think the district is composed of smart people who really care about Chula Vista.”
The second districting commission meeting is on Oct. 13 in the council chambers.
At the meeting the commissioners will create its bylaws, discuss a request for a proposal to hire a demographer and focus on outreach.
A date for ACLU’s next community meeting hasn’t been announced yet.
