Grossmont-Cuyamaca College Board Gets No Feedback on District Voting

Despite active efforts to inform the public about an impending move from at-large to district elections, no one showed up to offer public comments at the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District governing board meeting Tuesday.

The lack of public interest didn’t come as a surprise to technical analyst Justin Levitt, hired by the district to develop maps showing various options for five trustee areas.

“If a board is working well or there hasn’t been any large community issue with the membership of the board or the board’s decisions, then it may not be the most stimulating topic for members of the public,” said Levitt, who works for National Demographics Corp.

The change is being made to comply with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, which officials say seeks to ensure that minority populations are fairly represented at the voting booth.

Of the three maps created, Plan 1 (attached) was unanimously supported by all the board members because it did the best at keeping each of the four main cities—La Mesa, Santee, El Cajon and Lemon Grove—intact. The fifth district includes the rural areas of Alpine and Jamul and extends to the Imperial County line.  

“So far this has been a very straightforward process,” Levitt said after his presentation at Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego. “It’s a testament to the board, especially, that they really came together around Plan 1 at the first meeting. I think they almost surprised themselves that they all preferred the same plan.”

Only two slight modifications were made to the plan since it was initially presented in October. This involved reworking the boundaries to move some straggler residents into the same proposed area for the rest of their city. Levitt says the change affected 84 residents in total—14 from La Mesa (District 2) and 70 from Santee (District 1).

“That’s what happens when you follow a street and, for example, the precinct line follows the alleyway or the fence between two sides of the street,” he said.

The district is one of many going through the same process—MiraCosta* and Palomar are also working to comply with regulation. According to Levitt, only a handful of boards throughout California have already made the switch, including one for the San Diego Community College District.

How each district shapes up:

• District 1 – Primarily Santee, but includes Winter Gardens and a part of Lakeside.
• District 2 – Primarily La Mesa, but includes Mount Helix, Casa del Oro and other unincorporated areas between Interstate 8 and state Route 94.
• District 3 – El Cajon, including the western portion and valley area.
• District 4 – Encompasses Alpine, most of Jamul and other rural areas all the way to the Imperial County line.
• District 5 – Represents the majority-minority area centered on Lemon Grove and Spring Valley and including a small portion of Jamul.

The areas were calculated based on 2010 Census data (attached) regarding the voting age population—those residents who are 18 or older and have U.S. citizenship. According to the data, 60 percent of the 1,100-square-foot district  comprises white non-Hispanics, while a majority of minority populations reside south of Route 94 in District 5.

“It’s important, we thought, to keep those areas together,” according to Levitt, who said he worked to avoid “cracking” the minority vote—dividing it between two different districts.

Census data also showed that the district is 25 percent Hispanic, 7 percent African-American, 5 percent Asian and 3 percent other. Officials say nearly 465,000 people live in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District led by La Mesa resident Cindy Miles, the chancellor. 

Nnety percent of the district resides west of Alpine.

Tuesday’s public hearing was one of two scheduled—the next is set for Tuesday, Dec. 13. Unless a reasonable opposition is given regarding Plan 1 at that time, it is expected the board will unanimously pass the proposal.

Officials say the changes will take effect in 2012 and that district elections will begin with the June primary. Seats held by governing board members Bill Garrett and Mary Kay Rosinski are up for election, while the three remaining representatives will keep their position until 2014.

The change to district voting is seen neutrally among those familiar with the process, though district spokeswoman Anne Krueger said it might have a positive effect on the board.

“It may encourage more candidates for the board because they’re not going to have to campaign for the entire district,” she said. “They’re going to be representing a smaller area.”

A poll on the question of district election posted Tuesday confirms the lack of public interest. As of 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, only four votes were tallied—two for and two against the move.

*Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the name of the district was Costa Mesa.