Board of Supervisors Continues Redistricting Discussion Until August

A vote on changes in supervisorial districts in San Diego county has been put off for at least another month.

The County Board of Supervisors was set Tuesday to hear the first reading of a proposed ordinance to change the makeup of the districts. However, a redistricting proposal submitted by the ACLU delayed the proceeding.

Every 10 years, the board must alter the five district boundaries to reflect any changes in population indicated by the federal census. The  Board-appointed Redistricting Advisory Committee has submitted three proposals to the Board, and the supervisors have selected one. An ordinance has to be adopted to put the changes into effect.

The draft ordinance prepared by staff was based on Draft Plan 5-7, which was selected by supervisors as the preferred option and is now known as BOS Proposed Plan 5-7.

However, the ACLU submitted a plan of their own on June 28 and County staff have not had time to fully review it.

To see Draft Plan 5-7, click here. It's designed to achieve the "ideal population" of 619,000 voters in each district. It would mean changes in all of the five districts. Some changes would affect the cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Escondido, Lemon Grove, National City, Poway and San Diego. Others would affect unincorporated areas.

The ACLU and several speakers among the public have asserted that African Americans and Hispanics constitute a cohesive voting group for voting rights purposes.

The ACLU did not submit a proposal for San Diego county in 2000.

The redistricting discussion has been continued until Aug. 2.