City Council to Begin Redistricting Process

Pasadena city officials on Monday will begin the process of redistricting to determine how the current boundaries of the seven council voting districts might be redrawn based on 2020 Census data.

During a workshop, the City Council will receive information regarding the administrative process and legal framework on redistricting procedures.

Monday’s City Council meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. The workshop will include updates on COVID-19 impacts affecting the release of census data and the timing of redistricting.

Following every 10-year census count, the city utilizes that information to examine the people residing in existing City Council district boundaries to account for changes in population.

In 2012, the City Council voted 6-1 to shift the districts slightly, resulting in the exchange of about 1,392 people from one district to another.

The biggest impact of redistricting occurred almost 30 years ago, when the council created a new district — which is now District 5 — in the hopes of creating more opportunities for growing numbers of Latino residents to participate in the political process.

As they have done in previous years, the City Council will appoint a citizen-based task force to examine census data.

The task force will then recommend a redistricting plan to the City Council for consideration and possible adoption.

Applications to serve on the city’s Citizen-Based Redistricting Task Force are available now by using the city’s commission application format. Applications must be turned in by April 1.

Changes to state law require at least four public hearings during the redistricting process, and a certain number of public meetings and public hearings to occur at various stages of the process to meet legal compliance.

To support public participation, city staff is requesting that a public engagement professional be retained to lead outreach and get the public involved. Duties will include crafting messaging, utilizing social media platforms, coordinating with city public information staff, and ensuring compliance with language requirements.

“The task force will receive training on the legal requirements and framework governing redistricting ahead of consideration of potential changes to council district boundaries,” the staff report reads.

“One of the benefits of the task force is to provide a public process that is singularly focused on the issue of redistricting, allowing members in the community to propose their own plans, comment on plans under consideration, and provide feedback to the task force regarding issues of importance and impacts that may occur related to redistricting,” the report states.

A request for proposal, RFP, for a professional redistricting consultant and demographer will be issued on Thursday, March 18, and circulate for approximately three weeks.

In the past, the redistricting task force has participated in the selection process for the consultant, including working with staff to review proposals, conduct interviews, and select the consultant(s) for recommendation to the City Council for approval.