Irvine starts the process of going to District Elections

 

Below is a news release from the City of Irvine regarding the commencement of moving to district elections.

Demographers I’ve spoken with say there are likely to be two Asian majority districts with the remainder of four being relatively neutral in regards to race.  Irvine is perhaps the most ethnically diverse city in Orange County, and it’s probably going to be more important to keep neighborhoods together and that the population of each district is as even as possible.  It’s entirely possible we’ll have districts where two council members live and that will work itself out over time.

Here are details, so mark your calendars.

City of Irvine Begins Pursuit of District-Based Elections

IRVINE, Calif. (April 5, 2023): The City of Irvine is pursuing its first City Council district formation process. The first public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 6 p.m. during its regular City Council meeting at the City of Irvine Council Chamber.

All City of Irvine registered voters currently vote for the Mayor and all four City Councilmembers. Upon completion of the districting process, the City of Irvine would have six separate voting districts. Beginning in 2024, each voter would vote for the Mayor and one Councilmember to represent the district they live in.

To ensure each district has roughly the same number of residents, local governments use data from the Census to guide the establishment of districts. Members of the Irvine community are encouraged to participate in the districting process to ensure district lines respect neighborhoods, history, and geographic elements.

Residents can get involved by attending public hearings and community workshops, sharing their thoughts on communities that should be kept together in a single district, submitting a map of proposed district lines, and eventually providing feedback on other draft maps drawn by the community and National Demographics Corporation, the City’s professional demographer.

As required by law, the City of Irvine will hold five public hearings:

  • April 11, 2023 at 6 p.m. – First Public Hearing, City of Irvine Council Chamber
  • May 9, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Second Public Hearing, City of Irvine Council Chamber
  • July 11, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Third Public Hearing, City of Irvine Council Chamber
  • September 12, 2023, at 6 p.m. – Fourth Public Hearing, City of Irvine Council Chamber
  • October 10, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Fifth Public Hearing, City of Irvine Council Chamber

In addition, the City is hosting community workshops to give residents an opportunity to learn more about the tools available to draw maps, ensure their community is fairly represented, and connect with others engaged in the district formation process.

  • April 15, 2023 at 10 a.m. – City of Irvine Council Chamber, 1 Civic Center Plaza
  • April 15, 2023 at 2 p.m. – Great Park Artist Studio, 8000 Great Park Blvd.
  • April 22, 2023 at 10 a.m. – Quail Hill Community Center, 39 Shady Canyon Dr.
  • April 22, 2023 at 2 p.m. – Heritage Park Library, 14361 Yale Ave.
  • April 26, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Virtual via Zoom
  • May 13, 2023 at 3 p.m. – South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, 9 Truman St.
  • May 27, 2023 at 10 a.m. – Lakeview Senior Center, 20 Lake Road

A second round of workshops will be held July through September.

To help share information about the district formation process, gather maps drawn by the public, and collect public feedback, the City of Irvine has launched a dedicated district formation website: DrawIrvine.org. The website includes background information about district formation, a schedule outlining public meetings and deadlines, frequently asked questions, resources for drawing maps, and details on how to get directly involved in the district formation process. As the process moves forward in the coming months, Irvine will continue to update the website to include additional information on upcoming meetings and events.

To view specific workshop dates and locations and to learn more about districting, visit DrawIrvine.org.

Language interpretation and requests for disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or devices, may be arranged by emailing a request to districting@cityofirvine.org at least 72 hours prior to each meeting.

Please contact the City of Irvine at districting@cityofirvine.org or 949-724-7575 for questions, comments, and map suggestions.

2 Comments

  1. District elections for IUSD trustees have been a loser for Irvine residents. Trustee district 4 has not had a contested election in two cycles, effectively disenfranchising residents of that district with respect to IUSD representation. The contested elections have been one sided, preserving the status quo (which is actually a good thing considering the fringe nature of several candidates, including in 2022). City council district elections may be different, and doing this voluntarily as opposed to under threat of litigation is certainly an improvement, but the latter is the case only because in 2021 the city pushed back against the threat letter. If Santa Monica wins its voting rights case at CA Supreme Court it’s possible IUSD could go back to at large elections (although that would be unlikely).

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