Community Involvement Makes a Difference as Board Rescinds Action
Auburn, Calif.- Following months of public meetings and community input, the Placer County Board of Supervisors unanimously supported an updated supervisorial district map created by community members.
The board voted to tentatively approve map alternative Hybrid 2.0 option 1 after rescinding a prior action from the Nov. 30 board meeting, which tentatively approved map Alternative A.
“This is my third time working through the redistricting process, and it is a challenge,” said Placer County Board of Supervisors Chair and District 2 Supervisor Robert Weygandt. “I want to thank all who participated constructively in the process. I’m confident we’ll be well served over the next 10 years by today’s decision.”
The tentatively approved map would keep Lincoln and Rocklin whole and allow the city of Loomis to remain in District 3 along with Penryn and Newcastle. These were requests that prevailed due to community input. The tentative map would divide the foothill communities into District 3 and District 4 along Interstate 80, while all of Auburn would be included in District 5.
Community Involvement
“I am very pleased our Board reconsidered the map approved last week,” said District 1 Supervisor Bonnie Gore. “The community shared its input and the Board’s decision allowed for most communities of interest to be represented.”
The map is a collaborative effort by Placer County residents Amber Beckler, Julia Sweeney, Lisa Larkin and Wayne Nader, with feedback incorporated from community groups and leaders in Placer County.
“The team members that collaborated on this map should be commended for coming together across the county and communities to produce a map no one thought was possible,” said District 4 Supervisor Suzanne Jones. “It was my privilege to represent them and see their vision become a reality.”
December 14
The map will be presented for adoption at the next regularly scheduled board meeting Dec. 14. If finalized, the new map would take effect in early 2022.
“For purposes of supporting a united Placer County, I voted in favor of the hybrid map,” said District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson.
“No matter what, our board represents the interests of the entire county, not just our respective districts. I am truly proud of our community’s interest in local government.”
The redistricting process is initiated in the year following the U.S Census, which happens once every 10 years as required by the U.S. Constitution. Census data allows county officials to realign supervisorial districts, accounting for shifts in population growth since the last Census and assuring equal representation for their constituents in compliance with the “one-person, one-vote” principle of the Voting Rights Act.
Typically, the redistricting process takes about seven to nine months to complete; however, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the final Census data from the 2020 countywide population count to late September, resulting in a severely compressed timeline for the county to finalize a map.
Archived videos, presentations, and information about the 2021 redistricting process can be found at https://www.placer.ca.gov/redistricting.
The last Placer County redistricting process was in 2011.
