Census shifts supervisorial boundaries

If it wasn’t ascertained by the increase of cars on the road or
the longer lines at the grocery store, here’s the official word:
More people are living in Morgan Hill now than in 2000. The 2010
Census results show a 12.9 percent increase to the population count
of 33,556 in 2000, and a decade later 37,882 people call Morgan
Hill home.
If it wasn’t ascertained by the increase of cars on the road or the longer lines at the grocery store, here’s the official word: More people are living in Morgan Hill now than in 2000. The 2010 Census results show a 12.9 percent increase to the population count of 33,556 in 2000, and a decade later 37,882 people call Morgan Hill home.

The change is dictating the shift in how supervisorial districts look in Santa Clara County and it begins with the Citizens Redistrict Committee’s first public meeting of the season Thursday at the Community and Cultural Center.

It’s a once-in-a-decade chance for California counties to redraw their supervisorial districts and maintain that one person’s vote carries the same weight as any other person’s vote. Friday was national “Census Day” and marks the announcement of the decennial Census population update.

The county’s 11-person commission, who were appointed by the board earlier this year, met in March to review the law and requirements for redrawing boundaries.

“We want to keep the communities of interest together and minimize the dissolution of votes or over-compacting of ethnic communities. You don’t want to fragment communities so their voices are swallowed up in the bigger majority,” said Susie Wilson, the chair of the commission and former county supervisor. Redrawing must be completed by Nov. 1 of a census year. The commission is looking at a May 19 deadline to recommend a map or a few maps to the county board of supervisors who will cast a vote no later than Sept. 30.

Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who was elected in November, likely won’t see much of a change to the district that encompasses Gilroy, San Martin, Morgan Hill, Los Gatos and neighborhoods in South San Jose and the Evergreen area. The commission must make sure each of the five districts maintain the same number of residents – 356,000 – with a 5 percent cushion available above and below that standard. District 1 is the largest in geographic area and with the 2010 results has 354,681 residents, but the commission aims to bring is as near to 356,000 as possible. To do that, 1,647 need to be added, (1,781,642 live in the county up 5.9 percent since 2000).

Keeping the figure per district as near to 356,000 as possible will help come the 2020 Census, Wilson said, “so there’s room to expand and districts have a better chance of remaining intact.”

Greg Bazhaw from the Santa Clara County Planning Department is heading the technical side of the process and will be at meetings to create maps for the commission. With special software he is able to input changes and automatically generate variations of maps as quickly as the commission can devise them. Wilson said the commission will have some maps to show Thursday and encourages the public to bring their comments and concerns.

The biggest shift won’t be in District 1, but in the northern part of the county after Sunnyvale’s local government sent a letter to the commission requesting the city be contained in one district, instead of split in two.

One idea that was tossed around was shifting the county’s second largest city (San Jose is first and spread among four districts) and its 140,081 residents into a single district, with Palo Alto’s District 5 possibly absorbing Los Gatos to make up for the loss. But Wilson said it would never be allowed.

“No way we will move Los Gatos out of District 1. It would totally disenfranchise that supervisor. That’s who they voted in. But ultimately is will go back to the board for approval,” she said. By the commissions’ May 5 meeting, it will begin to sort through their various maps and narrow them down before voting May 19 on which to forward to the board of supervisors for their consideration, said Melissa Erickson, the county’s redistricting program manager.

She said the map as it stands now is “still actually within the legal requirements, however, this is the only opportunity for the next 10 years to make any changes,” she said.

Legally, the commission must maximize equal representation, minimize community fragmentation and avoid gerrymandering. Wasserman said that the commission will also look at how many cities are within a current district now and try to keep the districts to their current shape and makeup as possible.

In District 1, the breakdown is: 45 percent White, non-Hispanic; 18.2 percent Asian; 2.3 percent Black; 0.3 percent American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.3 percent Islander; 0.2 some other race non-Hispanic; 3.2 percent two or more races; 30.1 percent Hispanic or Latino. District 1 has the third-largest White population and second largest Hispanic population in the county.

The census itself is conducted, according to Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, every 10 years for the purpose of “apportioning the United States House of Representatives.” The first was taken in 1790. California’s Voters First Act mandated the convening of a state Citizen’s Redistricting Commission to redraw the legislative boundaries for the state.

The county has actually been convening such a commission since 1991, Erickson said and was the first county in the state to do so, “in the interest of keeping it transparent.”

Beyond the county’s supervisorial review, the Santa Clara Valley Water District formed its own redistricting advisory committee in March to ensure its seven-member board of directors are giving equal representation to their districts. In spring 2010 to comply with the District Act, the law that created the SCVWD, the redrawing of district boundaries was mired down in attempts by local politicians to gerrymander, and at one point the board of directors sought to split Gilroy from Morgan Hill and form a district with Palo Alto. The map was approved April 29, 2010 while no person of the public was present thought it was later overturned after mayors from Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Palo Alto disapproved.

Wilson also sat on the redistricting committee at the water district, however the water district’s board of directors decided to reject their recommendation and instead construct the banana-shaped map “Q2” of Palo Alto-to-Gilroy. She said gerrymandering won’t enter the supervisorial process.

“Absolutely not. We don’t have any hidden agendas,” Wilson said, adding that she believed the board of supervisors’ process should unfold controversy-free.

All meetings are open to the public from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

• Thursday: Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center in the El Toro Room, 17000 Monterey Road

• April 14: Sunnyvale Library, 665 West Olive Ave., Sunnyvale

• April 21: Mountain View City Hall, 500 Castro St., Mountain View

• May 5: County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding St., Lower Level Conference Room, San Jose

• May 19: County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding St., Board Chambers, San Jose