City Council to Hold Redistricting Hearings in March

^{First published in the Feb. 11 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.}

The city of South Pasadena is halfway through its redistricting process which, upon completion, will determine the electoral voting districts for the next 10 years.
The city is scheduled to hold two remaining public hearings for the redistricting process on March 2 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. At the March 2 hearing, the City Council will begin to analyze the draft maps and public comments received and prioritize map options for discussion at the March 16 public hearing.
In addition to ensuring that each district represents about the same number of constituents, redistricting determines how neighborhoods and communities are grouped together for the purposes of electing a City Councilmember. The new district map must be drawn in accordance with the Fair Maps Act and Assembly Bill 1276, which states districts must be:
• Geographically contiguous (each council district should share a common border with the next)
• Respectful of the geographic integrity of local neighborhoods or communities in a manner that minimizes its division
• Drawn with easily identifiable boundaries that follow natural or artificial barriers (rivers, streets, highways, rail lines, etc.)
• Drawn to encourage geographic compactness with boundaries not drawn for purposes of favoring or discriminating against a political party
Residents of South Pasadena are encouraged to continue submitting maps for City Council consideration. Several mapping tools are available on the city’s redistricting website at southpasadenaca.gov/redistricting for community members to use to create their own maps.
To demonstrate how to use the mapping tools and gather public input on the redistricting process, the city hosted a virtual community workshop on Jan. 31. The meeting recording is available on the resources page of the city’s redistricting website.
To have maps considered during the March 2 public hearing, the submission deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 18. For consideration during the March 16 meeting, the submission deadline is noon March 7.
All draft maps will be posted to the draft maps webpage for the public to review and provide feedback. Residents are encouraged to share their input on all of the draft maps during the public hearings or submit comments to redistricting@southpasadenaca.gov.
Meeting materials and additional redistricting resources can be accessed through South Pasadena’s redistricting webpage: southpasadenaca.gov/redistricting.