3rd and 5th districts will shrink in redistricting
Redistricting, the shifting of political boundaries, to create more balanced districts following the decennial census has begun. California has an official 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission responsible for considering changes to boundaries for districts of U.S. House of Representatives and the California Legislature, both the Assembly and Senate.
Counties have independent authority to set the boundaries for their boards of supervisors. Riverside County has its Advisory Redistricting Commission 2021. The staff responsible for developing proposed revisions to the current supervisorial boundaries is called the Executive Office Technical Committee 2021.
Redistricting at both levels had been waiting for the official census data for 2020, which was a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequently delayed until earlier this month.
The EOTC made a presentation at the Sept. 22 Planning Commission meeting, which serves as the county’s Redistricting Commission. The process going forward was on the board of supervisors’ agenda Tuesday, Sept. 28.
The 2020 U.S. Census data released last month revealed that Riverside County has grown by more than 10% — more than double the growth of neighboring counties in Southern California, according to the Redistricting Commission’s press release.
Rania Odenbaugh, deputy county executive officer and EOTC co-chair, and Tom Mullen, county chief data officer, made a presentation to the ARC last week. According to the census data, Riverside County’s 2020 population was 2,418,185, an increase of 228,544 people since 2010 or a growth of 10.4%.
Riverside County has five supervisorial districts and the average population per district is 483,637 people. Based on the districts’ current population figures, the population for both the 3rd and 5th districts is greater than the average and the population in the 1st, 2nd and 4th districts is below the average. So the 3rd district, home of the Hill communities, will shed areas to help create balanced districts.
Odenbaugh told the ARC that she expects a first draft of possible revisions to district boundaries at the Oct. 6 ARC meeting and to the board of supervisors on Oct. 19.
The county’s press release inviting public comment states: “Redistricting ensures fair and equal representation accounting for changes in population and communities of interest that share common social and economic factors. Public participation in the redistricting process is a critically important part of the process.”
For more information about the ARC, its schedule of meetings, copies of previous presentations or more background on redistricting, visit
“The voice of our residents is crucial during this process as the work of the county impacts and enhances their daily lives,” said board Chair Karen Spiegel, 2nd District supervisor, in the press release announcing the Sept. 22 ARC meeting. “Residents are encouraged to share their feedback in-person or online.”
Community members may draw suggested boundary lines and submit online comments using the online feedback tool at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/b1ecb059ff9c4d68821dbdfda5f9db10.
Or residents may email the staff at [email protected].
According to California law AB 1276, supervisors must approve new boundaries by Dec. 15. Rodenbaugh told ARC that approval could be done either as a resolution, which would make the new boundaries effective upon approval, or as an ordinance, which would create a 30-day window before the boundaries are effective.
Dec. 27 is the date by which California’s independent redistricting commission — tasked with drawing the state’s legislative and congressional boundaries for the next decade — must submit final maps to the secretary of state. The commission had requested an extension until Jan. 14, 2022 but the California Supreme Court denied the request last week.
Information on the state redistricting process may be found at https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/. The CRC will be meeting weekly into November. It may have the draft district boundaries by Oct. 4.
