Introduction to Districting
October 25, 2022
Douglas Johnson and Justin Levitt
National Demographics Corporation
2 Election Systems
1. “At Large”
2. “From District” or “Residence” Districts
3. “By District”
The California Voting Rights Act
was written to specifically
encourage by-district elections.
October 25, 2022
3 California Voting Rights Act Impact
¨ Switched (or in the process of switching) as
a result of CVRA:
¤ At least 240 school districts
¤ 34 Community College Districts
¤ 160+ cities
¤ 1 County Board of Supervisors
¤ Over 50 special districts.
¨ Cases So Far:
¤ Palmdale, Santa Clara and Santa Monica went
to trial on the merits. Palmdale and Santa
Clara lost. Santa Monica is awaiting a decision.
¤ Modesto and Palmdale each spent about $1.8
million on their defense (in addition to the
attorney fee awards in those cases).
¤ Santa Monica has spent an estimated $7 to
$10 million so far. Plaintiffs in Santa Monica
requested $22 million in legal fees after the
original trial.
¨ Key settlements:
¤ Palmdale: $4.7 million
¤ Modesto: $3 million
¤ Highland: $1.3 million
¤ Anaheim: $1.1 million
¤ Whittier: $1 million
¤ Santa Barbara: $600,000
¤ Tulare Hospital: $500,000
¤ Camarillo: $233,000
¤ Compton Unified: $200,000
¤ Madera Unified: about $170,000
¤ Hanford Joint Union Schools:
$118,000
¤ Merced City: $42,000
¨ An estimated $16 million in total
settlements and court awards so far.
October 25, 2022
4 Districting Process
Step Description
Two Initial Hearings Held prior to release of draft maps.
Education and to solicit input on the composition of districts.
Release draft maps Maps must be posted at least 7 days prior to 3rd hearing.
Two hearings on draft maps Two meetings to discuss and revise the draft maps and to discuss the election sequence.
Map adoption Final map must be posted at least 7 days prior to adoption.
October 25, 2022
5 Equal Population
Federal Voting Rights Act
No Racial Gerrymandering
Respect voters’ choices /
continuity in office
Future population growth
1. Federal Laws 2. California Criteria for
Cities
1. Geographically contiguous
2. Undivided neighborhoods
and “communities of
interest”
(Socio-economic geographic areas
that should be kept together)
3. Easily identifiable
boundaries
4. Compact
(Do not bypass one group of
people to get to a more distant
group of people)
Prohibited: “Shall not favor or
discriminate against a political party.”
3. Other Traditional
Redistricting Principles
5 Redistricting Rules and Goals
October 25, 2022
6 Demographic
Summary
Population per District
(with 4 districts):
Gonzales: 2,169
Soledad: 4,773
October 25, 2022
Category Field Gonzales Soledad
2020
Census
Total Population 8,674 19,093
Hispanic/Latino 92% 90%
NH White 5% 5%
NH Black 0% 1%
NH Asian/Pac.Isl. 2% 3%
NH Native Amer. 0% 0%
Total 3,804 6,286
Hisp 85% 82%
NH White 10% 14%
NH Black 1% 0%
Asian/Pac.Isl. 3% 3%
Native Amer. 1% 0%
Total Pop.
Citizen
Voting Age
Pop
7 Demographic Details
October 25, 2022
Category Field Total Category Field Total
2020 Census Total Population 8,674 age0-19 33%
Hispanic/Latino 92% age20-60 55%
NH White 5% age60plus 12%
NH Black 0% immigrants 36%
NH Asian/Pac.Isl. 2% naturalized 19%
NH Native Amer. 0% english 25%
Total 3,804 spanish 75%
Hisp 85% asian-lang 1%
NH White 10% other lang 0%
NH Black 1% Language Fluency
Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well" 31%
Asian/Pac.Isl. 3% hs-grad 52%
Native Amer. 1% bachelor 6%
Total 3,470 graduatedegree 2%
Latino est. 89% Child in Household child-under18 57%
Spanish-Surnamed 83% Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 64%
Asian-Surnamed 1% income 0-25k 14%
Filipino-Surnamed 2% income 25-50k 21%
NH White est. 12% income 50-75k 19%
NH Black 1% income 75-200k 43%
Total 2,508 income 200k-plus 3%
Latino est. 88% single family 76%
Spanish-Surnamed 81% multi-family 24%
Asian-Surnamed 1% rented 44%
Filipino-Surnamed 2% owned 56%
NH White est. 14%
NH Black 1%
Total 1,598
Latino est. 84%
Spanish-Surnamed 78%
Asian-Surnamed 1%
Filipino-Surnamed 2%
NH White est. 16%
NH Black est. 1%
Gonzales
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2020)
Voter Turnout (Nov
2020)
Age
Voter Turnout (Nov
2018)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Immigration
Language spoken at
home
Total population data from California's adjusted 2020
Census data. Citizen Voting Age Population, Age,
Immigration, and other demographics from the 2016-
2020 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data. Turnout and Registration data
from California Statewide Database. "Latino" figures
calculated by NDC using Census Bureau's Latino
undercount by surname estimate.
Total Pop.
Citizen Voting Age Pop
Category Field Total Category Field Total
2020 Census Total Population 19,093 age0-19 40%
Hispanic/Latino 90% age20-60 50%
NH White 5% age60plus 10%
NH Black 1% immigrants 36%
NH Asian/Pac.Isl. 3% naturalized 16%
NH Native Amer. 0% english 23%
Total 6,286 spanish 75%
Hisp 82% asian-lang 0%
NH White 14% other lang 1%
NH Black 0% Language Fluency
Speaks Eng. "Less
than Very Well" 39%
Asian/Pac.Isl. 3% hs-grad 41%
Native Amer. 0% bachelor 5%
Total 7,741 graduatedegree 3%
Latino est. 88% Child in Household child-under18 61%
Spanish-Surnamed 82% Pct of Pop. Age 16+ employed 55%
Asian-Surnamed 1% income 0-25k 12%
Filipino-Surnamed 2% income 25-50k 28%
NH White est. 14% income 50-75k 16%
NH Black 0% income 75-200k 39%
Total 5,321 income 200k-plus 7%
Latino est. 87% single family 82%
Spanish-Surnamed 81% multi-family 18%
Asian-Surnamed 1% rented 38%
Filipino-Surnamed 2% owned 62%
NH White est. 15%
NH Black 0%
Total 3,017
Latino est. 84%
Spanish-Surnamed 79%
Asian-Surnamed 1%
Filipino-Surnamed 2%
NH White est. 17%
NH Black est. 0%
Voter Turnout (Nov
2018)
Household Income
Education (among
those age 25+)
Immigration
Language spoken at
home
Total population data from California's adjusted 2020
Census data. Citizen Voting Age Population, Age,
Immigration, and other demographics from the 2016-
2020 American Community Survey and Special
Tabulation 5-year data. Turnout and Registration data
from California Statewide Database. "Latino" figures
calculated by NDC using Census Bureau's Latino
undercount by surname estimate.
Total Pop.
Citizen Voting Age Pop
Soledad
Housing Stats
Voter Registration
(Nov 2020)
Voter Turnout (Nov
2020)
Age
8 Population Distribution
October 25, 2022
9 Latino CVAP
October 25, 2022
10 Other Socio-Economic
Demographics
October 25, 2022
% With Child Under
18 at Home
% Renters
11 Defining Neighborhoods
1 st Question: What is your neighborhood?
2 nd Question: What are its geographic boundaries?
Examples of physical features defining a neighborhood boundary:
§ Natural neighborhood dividing lines, such as highway or major roads, rivers, canals and/or hills
§ Areas around parks or schools
§ Other neighborhood landmarks
In the absence of public testimony, planning records and other similar documents may provide definition.
October 25, 2022 11
12 Beyond Neighborhoods:
Defining Communities of Interest
1 st Question: What defines your community?
§ Geographic Area, plus
§ Shared issue or characteristic
§ Shared social or economic interest
§ Impacted by county policies
§ Tell us “your community’s story”
2 nd Question: Would this community benefit from being “included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation”? § Or would it benefit more from having multiple representatives? Definitions of Communities of Interest may not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
October 25, 2022 12
13 Public Hearing & Discussion
What is your neighborhood and what are its boundaries?
What other notable areas are in the City, and what are their boundaries?
October 25, 2022