SRJC trustees studying redistricting

At its regular monthly meeting on next Tuesday, the Sonoma County Junior College District Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing to review redistricting principles regarding the Trustee Areas known as 3, 4, and 5. The meeting will start at 4 p.m. in the Lawrence A. Bertolini Student Center on the Santa Rosa Campus at 1501 Mendocino Ave.

Parking permits are required and available daily on campus lots.

Public comment will be welcomed near the beginning of the meeting, and will be limited to three minutes. Written submissions for those who cannot attend are also welcomed, and must arrive by Thursday via email to Susan St. Clair.

The district has contracted Redistricting Partners to help it develop potential redistricting plans. In March, Paul Mitchell, owner of Redistricting Partners and vice president of Political Data Inc., nationally recognized bipartisan industry leaders in their respective fields, outlined some of the criteria used in the process of redistricting to SRJC administrators.

Criteria used for considering lines in redistricting that have been used nationally and upheld by courts include:

• Relatively equal size (people, not citizens)

• Contiguous (should not hop/jump)

• Maintain ‘communities of interest’

• Follow city/county/local government lines

• Keep districts compact (in appearance and function)

Communities of interest are often the area that elicit the most questions. These communities can include ethnic and language minorities and other groups as deemed fit by the district and community. They may include:

• Ethnicity

• Religious communities

• Communities that are near or use college facilities or programs

• Younger or older residents

• Regions as defined by geographies or governmental entities

• Central core versus rural or suburban

Examples of communities of interest in other community college districts include:

• Historic communities

• Neighborhoods

• High school boundaries

• Local industries (such as agricultural, military, manufacturing)

SRJC Superintendent/President Dr. Frank Chong commented, “This list may be expanded based upon our specific community needs. The trustees look forward to working with interested community members in public meetings so that we can identify where communities of interest lie within the district boundaries.”