El Dorado County colors outside the lines to redraw supervisor districts
Published: Saturday, Apr. 30, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 1B
As El Dorado County works to draw new supervisorial districts to match 2010 census figures, one of five draft maps is drawing attention – good and bad.
The county must redraw lines to reflect the county's growth – about 25,000 more people than 10 years ago – but there are different ways to do that.
"No. 3 down there is clearly an abomination," said Jack Sweeney, the District III supervisor, as the five maps were introduced to the Board of Supervisors this week.
(Maps can be found at www.sacbee.com/links.)
The No. 3 option is also known as "the accordion" for the way it puts districts into north-south stripes that squeeze close on the west end of the county – where population is dense – and expand to the east.
But one man's accordion crime is one woman's ideal.
Judy Mathat, a Realtor and self- described "rabble rouser," says the accordion is logical and claims she advocated for such a map the last time districts were drawn.
"It alleviates all the gerrymandering and everything," said Mathat, who lives in Placerville and has an office in Cameron Park.
El Dorado Hills residents told the supervisors they, too, were leaning toward that map, for the way it preserved their community.
Two other maps use current district positions, but alter boundaries to reflect population growth.
A final two divide the county roughly along Highway 50, with three districts on the north, two to the south.
El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park have provided the bulk of the county's growth since the 2000 census.
Redistricting entails trade-offs between fairness and the inevitable turf issues.
"We've got to separate ourselves from it," said Norma Santiago, supervisor from District V.
That can be difficult.
District II Supervisor Ray Nutting, for example, currently has 44,434 people in his district, while redistricting is supposed to result in equal districts of around 36,212.
"I have 8,000 more than anybody else in my district," he said. "My district is going to shrink."
All five options show District II as losing Grizzly Flat.
"If these maps go forward, I will call a meeting in Grizzly Flat," Nutting declared in the supervisors' meeting.
The county has scheduled a series of public meetings. A schedule can be found at www.edcgov.us/redistricting.
Other concerns reflect, for example, splitting Diamond Springs from the town of El Dorado, deciding what district gets Cameron Park and whether the Lake Tahoe basin is left intact within a district.
Moving a line slightly – to put Cameron Park in a different district, for example – can have large consequences, said Mike Applegarth, a spokesman for the county.
That town has 18,000 people – about half the designated population for a district, he said.
Moving it would entail changes rippling through all the other districts.
Finding a map that works is hard. Finding a map that pleases is harder.
"If anyone picked one of these (map options), I would be absolutely amazed," said Rich Briner, who, as county surveyor, helped create them.
A staff committee including Briner, the county registrar/clerk, county counsel and the chief administrator's office drew up the options.
The process differs from 10 years ago, when a citizens committee appointed by supervisors did the early work.
After public meetings, the staff hopes to bring the public's input back in June, for supervisors to make final decisions.
The county must redraw lines to reflect the county's growth – about 25,000 more people than 10 years ago – but there are different ways to do that.
"No. 3 down there is clearly an abomination," said Jack Sweeney, the District III supervisor, as the five maps were introduced to the Board of Supervisors this week.
(Maps can be found at www.sacbee.com/links.)
The No. 3 option is also known as "the accordion" for the way it puts districts into north-south stripes that squeeze close on the west end of the county – where population is dense – and expand to the east.
But one man's accordion crime is one woman's ideal.
Judy Mathat, a Realtor and self- described "rabble rouser," says the accordion is logical and claims she advocated for such a map the last time districts were drawn.
"It alleviates all the gerrymandering and everything," said Mathat, who lives in Placerville and has an office in Cameron Park.
El Dorado Hills residents told the supervisors they, too, were leaning toward that map, for the way it preserved their community.
Two other maps use current district positions, but alter boundaries to reflect population growth.
A final two divide the county roughly along Highway 50, with three districts on the north, two to the south.
El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park have provided the bulk of the county's growth since the 2000 census.
Redistricting entails trade-offs between fairness and the inevitable turf issues.
"We've got to separate ourselves from it," said Norma Santiago, supervisor from District V.
That can be difficult.
District II Supervisor Ray Nutting, for example, currently has 44,434 people in his district, while redistricting is supposed to result in equal districts of around 36,212.
"I have 8,000 more than anybody else in my district," he said. "My district is going to shrink."
All five options show District II as losing Grizzly Flat.
"If these maps go forward, I will call a meeting in Grizzly Flat," Nutting declared in the supervisors' meeting.
The county has scheduled a series of public meetings. A schedule can be found at www.edcgov.us/redistricting.
Other concerns reflect, for example, splitting Diamond Springs from the town of El Dorado, deciding what district gets Cameron Park and whether the Lake Tahoe basin is left intact within a district.
Moving a line slightly – to put Cameron Park in a different district, for example – can have large consequences, said Mike Applegarth, a spokesman for the county.
That town has 18,000 people – about half the designated population for a district, he said.
Moving it would entail changes rippling through all the other districts.
Finding a map that works is hard. Finding a map that pleases is harder.
"If anyone picked one of these (map options), I would be absolutely amazed," said Rich Briner, who, as county surveyor, helped create them.
A staff committee including Briner, the county registrar/clerk, county counsel and the chief administrator's office drew up the options.
The process differs from 10 years ago, when a citizens committee appointed by supervisors did the early work.
After public meetings, the staff hopes to bring the public's input back in June, for supervisors to make final decisions.
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