One map stands in Long Beach redistricting process

The Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission is acceptable to prime adjacent week which representation of projected City Council territory boundaries volition caput to a last nationalist hearing, astatine slightest nether the panel’s existent schedule.

So far, lone 1 projected representation has made it done the process required to beryllium considered during the gathering connected Wednesday evening, Nov. 10, alternatively than the 3 maps primitively slated to beryllium discussed then. The commission, however, tin see different maps and marque changes to the existent projected representation adjacent week, according to officials. But lone 1 representation tin marque it to the last nationalist hearing, presently scheduled for Nov. 18.

“You tin amend the maps and marque changes to them,” Amy Webber, lawman metropolis attorney, told the committee astatine its Wednesday, Nov. 3, meeting. “But you person to prime a representation arsenic the last representation adjacent Wednesday to instrumentality it to the last hearing.”

That absorption came astatine the extremity of the 3rd consecutive marathon gathering for the commission.

Unlike the erstwhile 2 weeks, erstwhile hours of nationalist remark pushed the meetings to and past midnight, this week’s was dominated by commissioners attempting to tweak maps to respond to assemblage requests and marque them antithetic capable to connection existent alternatives.

Redistricting takes spot connected state, region and section levels each 10 years, aft the U.S. Census Bureau releases its decennial colonisation survey. Long Beach voters created the Independent Redistricting Commission successful 2018, changing the City Charter to instrumentality boundary-making distant from elected officials.

The projected representation that has moved guardant would marque drastic changes to respective districts.

The existent Fifth Council District, for example, would grow westbound to see overmuch of Bixby Knolls and California Heights portion swallowing the Long Beach Airport. Commissioners said that attack should conscionable demands from neighborhoods impacted by airdrome sound that they person immoderate practice erstwhile it comes to specified matters.

To marque that hap and support an astir adjacent colonisation for each districts, the existent Fourth District would agelong to Carson Boulevard, on the city’s eastbound border. Western districts would besides alteration radically nether the projected map, with 1 territory covering each of downtown and the port, and the Eighth District stretching from the 405 Freeway to the 91 Freeway connected the westbound portion astatine the aforesaid clip reaching to Lakewood connected the east. The existent Eighth District map, by contrast, includes astir of Bixby Knolls and California Heights.

It’s not clear, though, however the representation would unify the Cambodian community, a superior extremity successful erstwhile weeks. Anaheim Street, which defines Cambodia Town for many, would tally done 3 districts if that projected representation took effect.

Commissioners spent astir 4 hours Wednesday trying to tweak bound lines 1 mode oregon another, with advisor Paul Mitchel, main of Redistricting Partners, Inc., showing however those changes impacted different districts. After an hr of nationalist comment, committee Chair Alejandra Gutierrez pushed the radical to ballot connected alternate maps.

One option, based connected a representation that had emerged arsenic the evident favourite successful past meetings, gathered 8 yeses and 4 noes during a archetypal circular of votes. It takes 9 votes to determination a representation forward. Yet, adjacent aft a petition to reconsider and a plea to supply options going guardant from Commissioner Thomas Cooper, a 2nd ballot led to the aforesaid result.

Then the connection called the “Long Beach Equity Redistricting Map,” submitted past week by a assemblage group, was brought forward.

Mitchell pointed retired that this representation — designed to radical number populations unneurotic to supply the strongest governmental presumption — divided aggregate neighborhoods. Several commissioners agreed, and moving the that representation guardant failed arsenic well, with 8 commissioners opposing it.

Long Beach’s committee is pressed for clip due to the fact that a representation indispensable beryllium certified six months earlier the city’s superior predetermination successful June, making the deadline for support Dec. 7. The last representation indispensable beryllium posted for 7 days earlier the last support hearing, present acceptable for Thursday, Nov. 18. The Thursday aft that is Thanksgiving Day.

The Wednesday, Nov. 10, gathering is scheduled to statesman astatine 6 p.m. successful Civic Chambers astatine City Hall. Public remark volition beryllium accepted. COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks astatine each times, volition beryllium observed.

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