WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - On a state or county basis, dividing citizens by districts can provide a good way to help citizens feel their voices are heard, but setting up districts in a small community can do the opposite. Here’s some information about redistricting you might want to read.

People with common interests and beliefs tend to gather naturally. These people create communities, which lead to towns, which lead to cities and so on. When these groups are together geographically, they become a district.

Every member of the House of Representatives is elected from a district. That legislator represents the beliefs of the people in their district and helps to create policies and laws to assist the needs of the people that they represent. It makes sense in a large scale to create districts. As population grows, the lines of the districts are re-drawn so that all districts have about the same number of people to represent. This is called redistricting.

When there are districts, everyone votes on things only within their district. The legislator then takes the beliefs and decisions (that he just learned because of the vote) to the house. This knowledge will guide them in their decisions. This is the way, in theory, everyone is represented.

Again, it makes sense on a large scale. It wouldn’t make sense for people in Sacramento to be voting on issues taking place in San Diego, for example. The problem is not everyone has the same beliefs nor does everyone vote. A good example of a group of people who may not feel represented would be a homeless population. These are called ‘communities of interest.’

Because of this, some cities have chosen not to divide by districts and those cities run on an at-large system.

The city of West Sacramento currently runs on an at-large system. That means that everyone in town comes out and votes on who we want as Mayor and City Council members. The majority vote wins.

What about redistricting on a smaller scale? Is redistricting still a good idea? More and more cities are redistricting. It is done the same way it is done on the large scale. Lines are drawn to separate the town into sections (as many as five) to group together people that share similar race, family size, education, income, social, cultural, geographical and other concerns. Isn’t this what creates projects?

Those that are in support of redistricting believe that this is the answer for everyone’s voice to be heard. On the large scale it makes sense that in an area where there is primarily farm land, they wouldn’t want someone born and raised in the city to represent their needs.

Remember the rules are still the same on the small scale. You can only vote on things within your district. On a small scale, just like in large, community members elect one person to represent your district. For four years, those people become your City Council. Typically, when a city redistricts, the city council then appoints a Mayor each year. It’s called a rolling Mayor.

Those who oppose redistricting in the small scale say it’s about the money involved in potential lawsuits.

In an at-large system, if there is a group of people, or an individual who feels they have been wronged or discriminated against, they can file a lawsuit against the city. The individual or group has to prove that they have been discriminated against. Even if they do not prove it, it still can cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. If the city loses the lawsuit, it can cost even more.

When redistricting occurs, two things happen. First, it’s extremely hard to prove that someone has been discriminated against when the districts are made up of like individuals. Secondly, with redistricting there is a $30,000 cap on this type of lawsuit which can be eaten up in legal fees.

Those in favor of redistricting say no. They say it’s a chance for everyone’s voice to be heard. They say it’s a way to include all communities of interest. Populations change, however. Some neighborhoods grow, others dwindle. So how is that fair? The re-districting lines are redrawn every 10 years. Every time they do the census, they redraw the lines.

The problem is that on the large scale the legislature draws the district lines. They do this to shift the power of who’s dominant in the Senate. So, who draws the lines on the small scale? The public!

On Feb. 2, 2022, the West Sacramento City Council decided to retain the current at-large structure for Mayor, but to divide the city into four districts. This is one of the first steps to transitioning to redistricting. As I told you, the public helps to draw the district lines.

According to the City of West Sacramento’s website, on Feb. 19, the city of West Sacramento will be holding the first of two meetings for the public’s input on district lines. They hired an outside firm to draw the maps and help in the transition to a district-based system, in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The city will have at least five presentations on the CVRA process, and the public is encouraged to watch livestream, or participate via Zoom to offer comments at the meeting. The districts will be the subject of extensive public discussion and will not be decided until approximately June 2022. The plan is to have the transition completed and in effect by Nov. 2022 elections.

The redistricting lines decided during a series of public meetings and outreach events. Public participation is essential. Before drawing these lines, the city would need to know about your community so that the district lines can amplify the voices of the residents.

Examples of communities can include areas of town where many people speak the same language, neighborhoods, areas where residents use the same community facilities, areas of town where people have common interests. Residents will be asked to help create a community map and meetings on how to build that map will be held. According to COWS website, a schedule of the meetings will be available soon. There is a link on the home page of cityofwestsacramento.org to access.