League of Women Voters Would Keep All Cities Intact in O.C. Redistricting

Every decade, new census figures are used to redraw district boundaries at the congressional, state legislative, and county levels to create equitable-sized districts.

The League of Women Voters of Orange County has submitted a plan for supervisorial redistricting based primarily on not dividing any Orange County city into more than one district.

League positions, adopted after careful study, call for districts made up of substantially equal populations, with geographic contiguity, and respect for boundaries of cities. They also offer protection from diluting the voting strength of a racial or linguistic minority, and support the preservation and protection of communities of interest. At the same time, the standards stress not allowing the goal of protecting incumbents or preferential treatment of one political party.

These league standards are similar to the factors in the California Elections Code that are to be considered in establishing district boundaries. These factors are topography, geography and community of interests of the districts, and cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity and compactness of territory.

Keeping cities whole within one district and grouping similar cities together with adjacent unincorporated areas fulfills both sets of requirements.

The league plan groups the various cities and adjacent unincorporated areas into logical divisions, avoiding gerrymandering and the inclusion of disparate areas of the county such as far northern areas being in the same district with communities in South County. This has been accomplished even with the restraints imposed by keeping intact the large city of Anaheim, which almost divides the county.

Racial and ethnic compositions are reflected in the population of adjacent cities and are not the basis for the formation of any district. It is not the purpose of this plan either to be overly inclusive or exclusive. Community of interests is maintained through geographic utilization of such county resources as libraries, parks, courts, social services, landfills and transportation facilities.

Within this plan, population of four of the five districts is virtually the same. Only the southern district differs more than slightly, allowing for growth in the planned communities already proposed and in areas where development is expected. Undeveloped areas such as the foothill region east of San Clemente and Newport Coast have been included in the southern district.

The central district is made up of Santa Ana, Tustin, Irvine and the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. The northeast district encompasses Brea, Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Villa Park, Orange and the undeveloped area east of that city, including almost all of the unincorporated canyon areas. The northwest district is made up of Placentia, Fullerton, La Habra, Buena Park, La Palma, Stanton, Cypress and Garden Grove.

The western district includes Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. The plan submitted by the league was formulated using logic rather than emotional or political reasons; it was not designed to favor any area of the county or any interest group or supporters of any current or aspiring supervisor.

The League of Women Voters is a political organization, but it is nonpartisan--never endorsing candidates and only taking positions on political issues, such as propositions, after careful study. Major community outreach by the league to all areas of Orange County occurs with voter services activities. At each election, the league conducts more than 100 proposition pros and cons and candidate forums.

There is confusion about what level of government is responsible for providing certain services; unhappiness about the level of cooperation between city and county agencies, staff and elected officials; frustration as to who one’s supervisor is--especially in divided cities; a lack of sensitivity regarding development in adjacent unincorporated areas; and dissatisfaction with being part of a gerrymandered district made up of dissimilar communities.

The last 15 years have witnessed the formation of numerous new cities and annexations. The county is now the chief governing body of an ever-dwindling unincorporated area. City and county elected officials and staff must work together to provide the entire range of required services.

The league’s plan of designing supervisorial districts using the criteria of city boundaries is the only submission that keeps every city intact.

All other plans under consideration have used different criteria in determining both communities of interest and district boundaries. Maintaining the integrity of the cities also maintains the integrity of the process.