ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Roseville's Independent Redistricting Commission is holding six public meetings over the next few weeks to get residents' input on the six draft maps.
Then, on Jan. 24 the commission will adopt one map that will establish district boundaries for the next 10 years.
This is the first year Roseville is doing redistricting with a district-based process. In previous redistricting processes, an at-large system was used where City Council members represented the entire city rather than specific districts.
"You could theoretically, in an at-large system, have five City Council members that live on the same block and don't necessarily go to this part of the city or that part of the city, and so they might say, 'oh, we represent the entire city,'" said Paul Frank, the chair of Roseville's independent redistricting commission.
Now, Frank said, City Council members are required to live in the district they represent.
"By law, they have to live in those so you know we didn't have districts before, and we're really living under a district system only for about a year and a half or two years," Frank said.
When redistricting happens every 10 years, there is a possibility when redrawing the lines that some representatives may wind up in the same district, potentially forcing them to run against each other for a seat.
But, Frank said he doesn't know where the council members live to impact the decision of the final map.
"Now, some of the maps, if chosen, might keep all of our City Council members in office, and some of the maps might draw one of them out and that's up to the commission to decide which map is best," Frank said.
The final map chosen by the commission must follow all local, state and federal laws, be substantially equal in population and be geographically contiguous.
The six draft maps can be tweaked and adjusted by the commission based on public comment and at their own discretion.
Redistricting Meetings
The commission is required to hold five public hearings with one in each district. Roseville will be holding six meetings, with a Saturday meeting taking place in the City Council Chambers.
- Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, at 6 p.m. — Maidu Community Center 1550 Maidu Drive
- Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, at 6 p.m. — City Council Chambers 311 Vernon Street
- Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, at 6 p.m. — Mike Shellito Indoor Pool
- 10210 Fairway Drive
- Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 2 p.m. — City Council Chambers 311 Vernon Street
- Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, at 6 p.m. Martha Riley Library — 1501 Pleasant Grove Blvd
- Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at 6 p.m. — St. John’s Episcopal Church 2351 Pleasant Grove Blvd
View the current City Council districts here.
Because district lines may be shifting for some residents, Frank said there are many things to consider when looking at the six draft maps.
"In general, how do we make it so there's not a six-year gap between someone voting in 2018 and then not being able to vote again until 2024?" Frank said. "There will be some people that fall into that gap. There's just no avoiding it, but how do we minimize that as much as possible?"
The public meetings in January are a time for the public to weigh in on the different maps and make suggestions or potential tweaks for the commission to consider.
"In the end, the commission can move things around just a little bit, as long as the numbers are still around 30,000 in each," Frank said.
Take a look at Roseville's six draft maps
Another aspect the commission considers when looking at the maps is the growth and future growth in the city. Frank said that there has been a lot of growth in Roseville so the commissioners want to make sure that people who move to Roseville in the future have as much representation as people who currently live in the city.
"We have some very vibrant neighborhoods in Roseville that were created about 30 years ago and so we want to make sure that they're represented in the decision-making process," he said.
Frank said when looking at some of the older neighborhoods, the commission wants people who live there to have a say in choosing someone who represents what the older neighborhoods want. Whereas, Frank said they wouldn't want to divide the older neighborhoods into different districts where they would be a slim minority and not have as strong a voice.
"You want to be able to balance it out, so there's always a voice of all the different characters that Roseville has," Frank said.
At the meetings to discuss the maps, Frank said the commissioners are looking for people who live in the communities to share their thoughts to help the commission make its decision.
"We really want to make sure that people participate so we can feel confident that we're making the right decision and the public can feel confident that we made the right decision," Frank said.
More information about the redistricting process and the draft maps can be found on Roseville's redistricting website.
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