San Diego

Redistricting of San Diego city school districts will be delayed until after trustees ask voters in November, 1992, to approve City Charter amendments to increase the number of districts from five to seven, and to eliminate at-large voting, the school board decided.

The delay means that the three trustees up for reelection next year will run in existing districts, which are now badly out of alignment in terms of population and ethnic representation with the new U.S. Census.

If one or both of the charter amendments are approved, the entire board will run in new districts and/or under district-only voting procedures in 1994. If the amendments are rejected, then the board will run in 1994 in the existing five districts, after revamping, under the existing at-large system.

The board decided Tuesday to wait until until November, 1992, for charter amendment proposals in order to give the San Diego Community College District more time to decide whether it wants to join San Diego city schools in the process.

Both boards fall under the same provisions of the City Charter, and the community college board is also debating whether to ask voters for more districts and an end to at-large voting.

A joint process would involve the two boards hiring a demographer to design new boundaries, as well as a joint community advisory committee, including representation from Latino, Asian and black organizations.