Santa Barbara County supervisors will have their work cut out for them this summer when it comes time to redraw district boundaries, thanks to a population boom in the North County over the past decade.
According to the U.S. Census, the county added nearly 25,000 new residents from 2000 to 2010. The city of Santa Maria accounted for much of the growth, jumping 28.6 percent over the past decade to a shade less than 100,000 people.
Based on the numbers, the county’s Board of Supervisors will have to redraw supervisorial district lines to attain populations of 84,779 people in each district. That’s the county’s total current headcount—423,895—divided by five. As a result, the 5th District, the only district in the county that grew, will need to be trimmed by nearly 17,000 people to even out representation. According to the census, the district’s population jumped 27 percent, from 80,058 to 101,531, over the past 10 years.
“The South County has basically had a no-growth policy, and it’s starting to reflect in our census numbers,” 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said. “If we would have had the same economy that was roaring along there at the beginning [of the census], I think we would have seen the growth be even considerably larger than
it was.”
When it comes time to redraw the lines, Lavagnino said Santa Maria would have to be represented by two supervisors. The only question, he said, is whether the 3rd or 4th District will be extended to encompass parts of the city, or if Santa Maria and Orcutt will be combined and cut into two separate districts.
“The city is going to have to be split,” he said. “If you just cut 16,000 people off, those people are going to be a little bit disenfranchised. I’d rather we figure out a way to make sure everybody’s got a strong voice and is well represented in this area.”
The 4th District currently includes the cities of Guadalupe, Lompoc, and Orcutt, and will be required to add 2,831 people to reach the population threshold. To get a clearer picture of the new boundaries, Lavagnino said, the county would first have to analyze individual census tracts to determine exactly where the population growth occurred.
The redistricting issue will go to the Board of Supervisors on April 12, with the first proposals likely in by early May. Armed with $100,000 in funding, the county will hold a series of six public redistricting meetings throughout the county on evenings in May and June.
“We want as much input from the community as we can get,” Lavagnino said. “My No. 1 goal is that it’s a transparent process. Everybody’s going to have a say on this.”
A draft proposal of the revised districts could be in place by June 10, followed by a series of public hearings. The county is required to determine where the new boundaries will be drawn by Oct. 31, but Lavagnino said the supervisors want the process finalized by early August.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2011.
