Visalia City Council
members will be elected by district beginning in 2016. What should the
districts look like? Where should the five district boundaries be? We want your
ideas, input and help to draw the boundaries.
The City of Visalia must
comply with legal criteria when developing these districts. The legal criteria
for boundaries include: districts are at least as nearly equal in population as
required by law; they do not result in a denial or abridgement of the right of
any citizen to vote on account of race or color; and are not gerrymandered.
In addition to the legal
criteria, the City Council adopted criteria to be used in the development of
the districts. The criteria for the boundaries of the districts include:
*Observing communities of interest;
*Take visible features into account, such
as topography and geography;
*Be compact, created to contain
contiguous territory;
*Avoid pairing two or more incumbents in
a single district;
*Maintain a longer-term population
balance, and;
*Preserve the corresponding existing
district’s population.
Two information meetings
will be held to help you understand the process and criteria used to draw the
districts. They will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Linwood
Elementary School’s Multi-Purpose Room, 3129 S. Linwood St., and Tuesday, Sept.
30 at 7 p.m. at Manuel Hernandez Community Center, 247 W. Ferguson Ave.
These meetings are a first
step. Doug Johnson of National Demographic Corporation will lead the meeting
discussion. NDC
has a unique understanding of the Tulare County area because the firm worked
with the Visalia Unified School District, and the Tulare District Hospital,
when those agencies developed their district boundaries.
Want to draw your own map?
Free public participation kits are available to give you the tools to submit
your own boundary proposal for discussion and consideration by the public and
the City Council. The kits include a map of the City and demographic
information. They are also on the City’s website and at City Hall, 7007 W.
Acequia Ave.
Even if you come to the
meeting with an idea scribbled down on a napkin, you are doing your part as a
responsible resident of this City and your ideas will be taken into
consideration. Community input is vital to this process.
The City Council’s goal is
to adopt the district boundaries by June, 2015 to ensure there is ample time
for the citizens and any potential City Council candidates to understand the
districts prior to the election cycle in 2016. I urge you to be a part of the
process. Share your ideas and individual maps.
For more information on the
meetings or the district election process, please contact Community Relations
Manager Nancy Loliva at 559-713-4535 or go to www.ourvisalia.com.
August 30, 2014 Times Delta Editorial
