Favored Yolo redistricting plan splits supervisors, draws ire of Winters
By Hudson Sangree
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 1B
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A divided Yolo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday backed a redistricting plan that would break up the county's vast agricultural district and put the farm town of Winters and half of the university city of Davis under one supervisor.
A final vote on the plan is scheduled Sept. 27. But three of the five supervisors at Tuesday's hearing expressed a clear preference for it.
They reached consensus despite protests from farmers and Winters residents, who said the plan would leave rural Yolo County without a strong voice on the board.
"Winters seems to be the sacrificial lamb," said Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the city's mayor pro tem. She argued the rural "community of interest" in western Yolo County should be kept together in one district.
At a community meeting in June, dozens of Winters residents voiced their displeasure with the idea of being lumped into a district with liberal Davis and separated from their rural neighbors.
"We had some people really upset," Aguiar-Curry told the supervisors.
The plan backed Tuesday was one of three recommended by a redistricting advisory committee composed of volunteers named by the supervisors.
If approved, it would be the first time in memory that the county, known for its farmland and open space, would not have a supervisor from a district in which the majority of voters live in rural areas or farming hamlets.
Instead, Woodland residents would make up 70 percent of District 5, traditionally the county's agricultural stronghold.
The district has been represented by a series of farmers and ranchers, including current Supervisor Duane Chamberlain. Woodland residents have made up a sizable minority of his constituents.
Chamberlain, a rancher known for his staunch support of farmers and rural workers, opposed the plan.
"My No. 1 priority of all is to keep Winters in the 5th District," he said.
He was joined by Davis-area Supervisor Jim Provenza, an attorney and lobbyist who said the board needs the expertise of a farmer and a diversity of viewpoints.
"If you go back a hundred years, you'd probably find five farmers sitting up here," Provenza said.
Chamberlain and Provenza backed a plan that would have kept Winters in the rural district and paired part of West Sacramento with Woodland.
Under the favored plan in District 2, the city of Davis would dominate Winters and rural areas with 66 percent of the population.
The district is currently represented by Don Saylor, a retired state administrator and former Davis mayor.
Saylor's appointee to the redistricting committee, Craig Reynolds – chief of staff to state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis – drafted the favored plan.
Saylor argued Tuesday that the primary basis for redistricting ought to be an evenly divided population.
"It comes down to one person, one vote," he said. "It's arithmetic."
The 2010 census showed the county's population had increased and shifted to West Sacramento, primarily because of residential growth in the Southport neighborhood.
District 1, represented by West Sacramento lawyer Mike McGowan, has nearly 50,000 residents.
The county's population has topped 200,000, meaning the five supervisors' districts should have about 40,000 residents each.
Achieving that goal requires redrawing district boundaries.
Supervisor Matt Rexroad of Woodland said he supported Reynolds' plan because it saved Woodland from being divided among three supervisors.
McGowan also backed the proposal, even though it would take part of West Sacramento's north area from his district and put it into a district with much of Woodland.
Frank Sieferman Sr., a farmer and former District 5 supervisor, read board members a letter signed by three other former supervisors urging them to keep the rural district intact.
He said he was disappointed at the outcome of the redistricting process.
"The people in Winters turned out every chance they had to express their concerns," he said. "Not everybody understood."
They reached consensus despite protests from farmers and Winters residents, who said the plan would leave rural Yolo County without a strong voice on the board.
"Winters seems to be the sacrificial lamb," said Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the city's mayor pro tem. She argued the rural "community of interest" in western Yolo County should be kept together in one district.
At a community meeting in June, dozens of Winters residents voiced their displeasure with the idea of being lumped into a district with liberal Davis and separated from their rural neighbors.
"We had some people really upset," Aguiar-Curry told the supervisors.
The plan backed Tuesday was one of three recommended by a redistricting advisory committee composed of volunteers named by the supervisors.
If approved, it would be the first time in memory that the county, known for its farmland and open space, would not have a supervisor from a district in which the majority of voters live in rural areas or farming hamlets.
Instead, Woodland residents would make up 70 percent of District 5, traditionally the county's agricultural stronghold.
The district has been represented by a series of farmers and ranchers, including current Supervisor Duane Chamberlain. Woodland residents have made up a sizable minority of his constituents.
Chamberlain, a rancher known for his staunch support of farmers and rural workers, opposed the plan.
"My No. 1 priority of all is to keep Winters in the 5th District," he said.
He was joined by Davis-area Supervisor Jim Provenza, an attorney and lobbyist who said the board needs the expertise of a farmer and a diversity of viewpoints.
"If you go back a hundred years, you'd probably find five farmers sitting up here," Provenza said.
Chamberlain and Provenza backed a plan that would have kept Winters in the rural district and paired part of West Sacramento with Woodland.
Under the favored plan in District 2, the city of Davis would dominate Winters and rural areas with 66 percent of the population.
The district is currently represented by Don Saylor, a retired state administrator and former Davis mayor.
Saylor's appointee to the redistricting committee, Craig Reynolds – chief of staff to state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis – drafted the favored plan.
Saylor argued Tuesday that the primary basis for redistricting ought to be an evenly divided population.
"It comes down to one person, one vote," he said. "It's arithmetic."
The 2010 census showed the county's population had increased and shifted to West Sacramento, primarily because of residential growth in the Southport neighborhood.
District 1, represented by West Sacramento lawyer Mike McGowan, has nearly 50,000 residents.
The county's population has topped 200,000, meaning the five supervisors' districts should have about 40,000 residents each.
Achieving that goal requires redrawing district boundaries.
Supervisor Matt Rexroad of Woodland said he supported Reynolds' plan because it saved Woodland from being divided among three supervisors.
McGowan also backed the proposal, even though it would take part of West Sacramento's north area from his district and put it into a district with much of Woodland.
Frank Sieferman Sr., a farmer and former District 5 supervisor, read board members a letter signed by three other former supervisors urging them to keep the rural district intact.
He said he was disappointed at the outcome of the redistricting process.
"The people in Winters turned out every chance they had to express their concerns," he said. "Not everybody understood."
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