County Redistricting Discussion Will Continue

The county Board of Supervisors has sent a proposed redistricting plan back for more study so one of the districts might have a voting-age population mostly made up of African American and Latino residents.

Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously ordered the change, but called for plans to maintain the character of the map created by an advisory committee that met publicly numerous times.

That plan was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of San Diego and Imperial Counties, which alleged it violates the Voting Rights Act. The county examined an alternate map created by the organization, but recommended only making adjustments to the district currently held by Supervisor Greg Cox.

"There are so many communities of interest to take into consideration
and sort out—they don't fit easily into five supervisory districts of the
same size population,'' Cox said. "I want to adopt a map that would keep, as much as possible, the integrity of the work that committee has accomplished.''

His district—in the map proposed by the commission and, for a time,
favored by the board—would have comprised about 41 percent
Latinos among voting age adults, and between 7.6 percent and 8.3 percent African Americans, according to a pair of demographic surveys.

That would make the combined Hispanic-African American adult population around 49 percent, so any adjustments would probably be minor, according to county staff.

Non-Hispanic whites make up 37 to 38 percent of the proposed District 1.

The Board of Supervisors has consisted of the same five white Republican representatives since 1995.

Whether creating an African American and Latino majority in Cox's district would break up the group is unknown because the former two-term mayor of Chula Vista has always had widespread political popularity among Hispanics.

However, it could have a dramatic impact on a successor when Cox gives up his seat.

The major feature of the commission's plan is that it moves the district
of Ron Roberts toward the coast, taking La Jolla from Pam Slater-Price. The other districts had only minor adjustments.

The staff will now make the recommended changes to Cox's district, and supervisors hope the future maps will be placed online before a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 6.

City News Service contributed to this report.