Politics & Government

New City Electoral Map Approved for 2012

The Elk Grove City Council voted 4-0 Wednesday to approve a council district map that reflects Elk Grove's changing population.

The remapping of Elk Grove is complete.

City council members Wednesday night approved a new electoral district map that equalizes population among the districts and creates distinct groupings of rural areas, older residential neighborhoods and newer infill development.

Approved on a 4-0 vote—Councilmember Sophia Scherman was absent—the new map, which will take effect in 2012, shrinks the number of city council districts from five to four under the terms of a voter-approved proposition that also paved the way for Elk Grove’s first directly-elected mayor.

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Whoever is elected mayor next year will occupy the council’s fifth seat.

Of the 30 maps drafted by community members, council members had to choose from Wednesday.  They opted for the version that consolidates the partially-completed Laguna Ridge development with another recently-settled neighborhood to the west, rather than merging it with more established neighborhoods to the north.

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“Those two communities are very similar,” said Councilmember Gary Davis, referring to Laguna Ridge and neighboring Poppy Ridge. “Whitelock Parkway brings it all together in a way that makes sense.”

The map is similar to one supported by several of the participants in city-sponsored redistricting workshops, and mostly uses major arteries like Highway 99 and Elk Grove Blvd to divide the districts.

While under the current council district map the number of residents varies widely from district to district, the new map creates districts of about 38,000 residents each.

The council members also responded to a conflict in the law governing redistricting by deciding not to put the final map before voters for approval. While the choice could leave the city open to legal challenges, councilmembers said they were confident that city residents had had sufficient input into the redistricting process.

“The public’s always been involved, so I don’t see a need to have a vote,” said Councilmember James Cooper. “The public spoke [when they voted to reduce the number of districts], they gave us clear direction, and our job is to proceed with how they directed us.”

While the new map places Laguna Ridge—the area perhaps most likely to grow substantially in the coming years—in the district currently represented by Davis, he and other council members said that decision would have few political implications. That’s because while council members must live in their districts to represent them, they are elected at-large and officially accountable to the entire city.

“Really the districts are more like a symbol,” said Mayor Steven Detrick. “I spend more time outside my district because that’s where the events are. Once you’re elected, you’re citywide.”

The map places Scherman in a district currently represented by Councilmember Patrick Hume. Scherman has already announced her candidacy for state assembly next year, and would also have the option of running for mayor.


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