ELECTORAL DISTRICTS 2015/08/26ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ELECTORAL DISTRICTS MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015
6:30 P.M.
Western High School, Cafeteria
Committee Members Present: Hon. James Jackman, Ret.; Hon. Nancy Wieben Stock, Ret.;
Hon. Stephen Sundvold, Ret.; Hon. Thomas Thrasher, Ret.; Hon. Edward Wallin, Ret.
Staff Present: City Clerk Linda Andal, Outside Counsel Ben De Mayo, Consultant Justin Levitt.
Chairman Wallin called the meeting to order at 6:39 p.m. He explained the Committee hoped to
narrow the number of proposals under consideration, working towards recommending one map
to the City Council. He suggested those who submitted maps also look at other maps for
potential changes that would be satisfactory. He requested comments address alternatives for
boundaries of the western districts and posed a question to the Committee and attendees of
how to handle the Latino areas of the city with the options of creating two Latino -majority
districts or one majority -Latino district with other Latino -plurality districts. He further expressed
his view that the Resort District should remain in one district.
With no objections, the Committee agreed to hold public comments following the presentation of
Item 1 by demographer, Justin Levitt.
1. Discussion and presentation of draft City Council district boundaries and
narrow the number of proposals under consideration, and any related
actions.
Justin Levitt announced the Committee narrowed the options to five draft maps at their last
meeting. He presented the maps as follows: Chuchua 4; Consultant Draft 3, which kept the
central area together, adding concern regarding the northern area and wrap-around southern
district; Consultant 4, which divided the Resort district; Gagne 1, which created the most
north/south districts; and Reyes 2, which received public support at the previous meeting. Mr.
Levitt explained the revisions he made were prepared at Committee direction, to include two
majority Latino districts by Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) in the Chuchua 4 and Reyes 2
maps. Mr. Levitt advised that the Committee could accept or reject the revisions, on their own
merits or in comparison with the original proposals. He reviewed the changes made to Chuchua
4 and Reyes 2. In Chuchua 4, the revision resulted in a higher deviation (3.8%) and in Reyes 2,
the Ponderosa neighborhood was divided. Chairman Wallin expressed his preference for Reyes
2, prior to the adjustments. Mr. Levitt also presented changes to Consultant Draft 3, where
Euclid Avenue was used as a boundary and elongated in the northern part of the city was
limited.
Mr. Levitt reviewed three options for the western portion boundary line between District 1 and
District 2. All options used Euclid Avenue as a boundary between central portions of the city,
adding that the Euclid boundary could be used within other maps. Option 1 kept the County
Island surrounded by one district and included both the Western Anaheim Youth Center and the
Regular Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Electoral Districts
August 26, 2015
Page 2 of 6
Brookhurst Community Center in one district. Option 2 (Gagne 1) was the most compact, kept
surrounding neighborhoods in the same district as the Brookhurst Community Center and Dad
Miller Golf Course, and had the largest population deviation between the two districts. Option 3
created lower population deviations and brought District 1 further north. Both Options 2 and 3
separated the West Anaheim Youth Center and Brookhurst Community Center into different
districts. Mr. Levitt encouraged the public to review the website, provide comments, and
participate in the upcoming meetings.
Public Comments (Five minutes for map submitters, three minutes for general
comments):
Oscar Reyes supported his original plan (Reyes 2) with no adjustments, explaining that having
one Section 2 district and two crossover districts would provide greater influence to the Latino
community. He added the districts, as drawn, addressed major landmarks and communities of
interest through compact districts and cohesive communities. In response to Judge Thrasher,
Mr. Reyes rejected the revisions made to his original map. Judge Jackman questioned whether
the three Latino seats were possible with the 2010 Census figures or had demographics
changed since then with Mr. Levitt clarifying that the CVAP data was released in January 2015
and covered the years 2009-2013. Overall, Mr. Levitt shared that the Latino population had
increased 2%. Judge Sundvold asked Mr. Reyes which option for western Anaheim, other than
his own, he preferred. Mr. Reyes indicated he would need to review the data and speak with
other residents prior to answering the question.
Chairman Wallin read the posters held by members of the audience as follows: "Reyes Map 2
Voter Registration 49% in District 4 and 47% in District 5" (three maps), and "We want 3 of 6
districts" (six maps). Chairman Wallin confirmed that the sign -holders all supported Reyes 2.
Rida Hamida, Council on American -Islamic Relations and Arab -American Chamber of
Commerce, supported Reyes 2. In response to Judge Jackman, Ms. Hamida described Little
Arabia and requested certain boundaries around Brookhurst Street be adjusted to address
refugee communities near the Brookhurst Community Center and park. Judge Sundvold
questioned whether the west side of the County Island needed to be in District 2, with Ms.
Hamida affirming that point by describing churches, schools, mosques, and markets that
residents frequent.
Martin Lopez, resident and UNITE HERE organizer, found the Gagne, Chuchua, and Consultant
Draft 3 maps unacceptable due to keeping major economic landmarks within one district. He
expressed his opinion that the Platinum Triangle, Honda Center and Stadium area should be
separate from the Resort, explaining that if all of south Anaheim was placed in one district it
would concentrate too much power and workload on one Council member. Regarding
Consultant Draft 4, he felt it created a non -compact District 5 which would be difficult to
canvass. He supported the original Reyes 2, which created one Latino -majority district and two
Latino -plurality districts.
Regular Meeting ofthe Advisory Committee nnElectoral Districts
August 26, 2015
Page 3nr0
|Gela Lopez, West Anaheim resident, supported Reyes 2due t0its compact districts, indicahno
8desire for three districts.
C3i| C8ugh[Oon presented his nn8p explaining it was SOrOam/hat similar to Reyes 2, but with |Ovver
deviation between each Of the districts (|8sS than 196). He explained that his nl8p included
three majority -Latino districts and focused on communities of interest. In P8Sp0nSS to Chairman
VVa||iD, M[ {}aughnn@D stated his map was preferable as it was not focused on race, but focused
on what was going On in the community.
M8risO| Ramirez, West Anaheim resident, SUppOdRd Reyes 2 with the opportunity for Latino
representation in three districts based on C\AAF'and voter registration numbers.
Aida Briceno, OCCORD interim Executive Director, noted the turnout at the August 1 9th and
August 26 * committee meetings insupport of Reyes 2,aoitwas the most unifying map inher
opinion, and expressed her hope that the Committee would forward Reyes 2 to the City Council.
Art W1ontez, Centralia School District Trustee, offered comments on the process of mop review
and selection bythe Committee and expressed apreference for the LULAC. Judge Sunvo|d
expressed concern that the LULAC maps divided the Colony with Mr. yN0nhaz indicating that no
community could be completely included and that the LULAC maps were based On a three-mile
radius and the ability toelect candidates inthose areas. Hesuggested the Committee submit
more than one map to the City Council for consideration and acknowledged litigation and legal
requirements. Chairman Wallin clarified there had been no suggestion for boundaries based on
specific candidates. In response tOJudge Jackman, Mr. MoOt8zSt8t8d each rn8p had its
qualities and faults and that qualities could be pulled from different maps to not pit communities
against each other.
Zeke Hernandez, Santa Ana LULAC president, submitted documents related to his absence
from the previousmeeting and provided comments onthe Committee's task and process oY
narrowing down the nO8pS. He indicated 8 need for at least two Latino -majority districts. In
response bJJudge Thrasher, Mr. Hernandez preferred LULAC1. Chairman Wallin encouraged
the public towork with Mr. Levitt on any tweaks to maps that could accomplish certain criteria.
Mr. DeyNayo0Xp|ained the City Council wanted 8preferred plan from the Committee, but all
plans would bepart Ofthe record and forwarded toCity Council.
Claudio Gallegos supported Reyes 2asoriginally submitted with one Latino -majority C\AAPsemt
and two plurality crossover meota, sharing his belief that the revision was not viable.
Jason Mills, noting his submitted map was not currently under consideration, supported Reyes 2
as -is and encouraged the Committee tomove itforward, Heliked how Reyes 2kept working
class neighborhoods together, kept the Colony whole, separated landmarks, and kept the
Resort together. In response to Judge Thrasher's request for his second ohDi:o. Mr. Mills
indicated hewould need 0]review the maps but emphasized Reyes 2 kept the spirit ofhis
initially -submitted map with crossover seats.
Regular Meeting ofthe Advisory Committee onElectoral Districts
August 26, 2015
Page 4m8
Deborah Phares.downtown resident, expressed concern with Consultant Maps 3and 4which
created a district where the Colony was isolated from city borders, which she believed limited
collaboration on regional issues, such as homelessness; with Consultant Map 4, it separated
part of the La Palma area which identified with the Colony due to historic issues. She supported
Reyes 2.
Yuva| Miller, OCCC}RO. supported Reyes Map 2, indicating a possibility that District 4was
already majority -Latino byC\AAP. H8discussed the Latino community desire for three ofsix
districts in Anaheim and provided court came references related to plurality districts. He
announced a desire for communities of interests to be maintained and for crossover districts to
provide the best chance for equal representation ofLatinos.
Aida Tamnayodiscussed issues with Consultant Maps 3and 4as they created adistrict that did
not border a neighboring city as well as the separation of the Palms historic community from the
Colony. She expressed her support for Reyes 2.
A|�u� Hernandez supported Rey�a 2 �obeneficial forthe Latino community.
Arturo F8rrer@8 worked with the Ponderosa community to draft their own 0Oap. which they
withdrew to support Reyes 2 with a possible revision to increase the Latino percentage. Upon
review of the revision, Mr. Ferraras encouraged the committee to only consider the original
Reyes 2map.
Greg Diamond addressed his comments on the revision to the Chuchua Map 4. He stated he
did not like how District (gold Shaded area) reflected 5596 Latino majority and fe|1 it was a
waste of Latino votes, which he stated VvOu|d not allow for three districts to have Latino
pluralities. He spoke in favor of the original ChuChuG rnap, which was designed to win 8 court
case because it was as compact as possible and the numbers were as low as possible. He
requested Chuchua Map 4 be among those recommended to the City Council. Mr. Diamond
stated the Reyes map lacked compactness and suggested swapping out areas in District 4
(green shaded area) and District 5(purple shaded area). Herequested the Committee use
Euclid as a border of west Anaheim and only recommend maps containing the Euclid border to
the City Council. Chairman VVa||iO asked Justin Levitt about switching areas in District (green
shaded area) and District 5(purple shaded area). Justin Levitt responded stating that the area
between State College and 1-5 south of Ball had very little population with 1,000 people;
conversely, the area to the north was heavily populated with of over 3,000 people. He stated
that popu|ation-vviae.itwould not beanequal trade. Greg Diamond responded bystating the
Reyes Map could befixed so that itwould not bevulnerable iOcourt bymoving District 4(green
shaded area) along Euclid into District 3and toward the east under the |-5(gold shaded araa).
Rudy Gaonathanked the Committee for their service and stated he was insupport ufReyes
Map 2. He highlighted that District in the Reyes PNep reflected 5696 Latino Majority, District
48 48%. and District 5 8 4796. Hefurther highlighted that every district had 8 park, District
with Disneyland, District 5 included the P|8dDunn Triangle, and District 3 kept the Colony while
which made each district unique.
Regular Meeting ofthe Advisory Committee nnElectoral Districts
August 26, 2015
Page 5nfn
Gen0veva Gorda, resident stated the community supported Reyes Map 2 and urged the
Committee totake Reyes Map 2into consideration.
Benita Gagne addressed her comments to the 3 western Anaheim options. She stated that after
hearing the comments from Rida Hamida, she supported the map that kept the Arabic
community together as part of District 2, explaining her map was the closest to accomplishing
this. She stated the map she proposed reflected one majority VVhi\e.twom 'ohb/Himpanio.bwo
plurality White and one nearly equal.
Mark Daniels, west Anaheim resident, stated heliked any of the west Anaheim options. He
stated he |k/ed his entire life west of Beach Bkxj and could live in any of the three scenarios. He
encouraged residents to register and vote. Mr. Daniels added his support for all three nnapa.
Gagne map, Chuchua map, and the Reyes map, and suggested all three get together and work
out @compromise.
Betsy Martinez Rodueiz.3Dyear Anaheim resident, expressed her support ofthe Reyes map
because it represented the Hispanic community and urged the Committee to consider this map.
With no further comments offered, Chairman Wallin closed the public comment portion of the
meeting.
Chairman Wallin announced the next two meetings: September 8 m8tO:30p0atL0ansHigh
School and September 16 ,xatthe Anaheim City Council Chambers. Hereported the Committee
would bamaking their final decision oOwhat maps torecommend tnthe City Council during
their last meeting.
Judge Stock stated the committee was met with the concept of Latino pluralities during the
August 19th meeting that could serve a purpose in connection with the configuration of other
districts. She felt those same concepts were solidified during this evening's meeting. She
advised that the Committee was pairing down maps aGthey worked towards recommending one
map for Council consideration, adding that the next couple of meetings would be critical and
appreciated the contribution Ofthe residents.
Judge Jackman requested time beset aside for the Committee to have anopen public
discussion amongst Members.
Judge Thrasher recognized the overwhelming support for Reyes Map 2 and stated the
Committee would take such support into consideration when selecting maps for Council
consideration.
Judge8UndvO|d stated he felt the Committee was making progress in the right direction and
acknowledged the support for Reyes Map 2. Haadded the next couple cfmeetings were
important and highlighted the next meeting would be on a Tuesday, not the usual Wednesday
night.
Regular Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Electoral Districts
August 26, 2015
Page 6 of 6
Chairman Wallin suggested the Committee narrow the maps down to three (3). The following
three (3) maps were identified: Reyes Map 2, Chuchua Map 4 and the Gagne Map 1.
Motion by Chairman Wallin to narrow down to three (3) maps (Reyes Map 2, Chuchua Map 4,
Gagne Map 1) providing direction to Mr. Levitt to adjust, as necessary. Second by Judge
Sundvold. Vote: 4-0-1 (Ayes: Committee Chair Wallin and Committee Member Stock, Sudnvold
and Thrasher; Abstention: Committee Member Jackman) [Judge Jackman noted his abstention
due to his desire to discuss the maps further between Members]
2. Amend Committee meeting calendar, as necessary.
With no amendments to the Committee meeting calendar required, Chairman Wallin announced
the next ACED meeting would be held at Loara High School at 6:30pm on Tuesday, September
Stn Ms. Andal announced the meeting may be moved to the auditorium of Loara HS, and if so,
appropriate signage would be placed around the previously noticed Room 203.
3. Committee Comments / Staff comments
Mr. DeMayo requested the Committee direct Mr. Levitt to finalize the boundary between
Districts 5 and 6. Judge Stock indicated the District 2 boundary line would be more than a
minor tweak.
Mr. Levitt demonstrated changes to the boundary between District 1 and District 2, using Reyes
Map 2 map, based on the earlier comments by Ms. Hamida regarding the Brookhurst
Community Center area. He noted that the populations remained even. Chairman Wallin
pointed out the narrowness of District 1 in one area. Mr. Levitt announced he would put the
option online for residents to review.
With no further business to conduct, by unanimous vote, Chairman Wallin adjourned the
meeting at 8:53 p.m.
spec ully submitted, 40
Linda N. Andal, CMC
City Clerk