Placer Redistricting Commission hears first thoughts on amending districts

The Placer County Advisory Redistricting Commission on June 24 held its first of four public meetings in the redistricting process to obtain feedback from Placer residents on how district lines should be evaluated and amended. Redistricting takes place every 10 years following the U.S. Census to allow the realignment of districts to account for shifts in population growth. According to the staff report, current supervisorial districts in Placer County are: District 1: Parts of the city of Roseville and portions of southwestern county identified as Specific Plan growth areas. District 2: The cities of Lincoln and Rocklin, including most of rural Lincoln along the western and northern boundary of the county. District 3: City of Rocklin, town of Loomis, portions of North Auburn, including the Placer County Government Center and rural communities along the Interstate 80 corridor such as Penryn, Newcastle and Ophir. District 4: Parts of the city of Roseville and community of Granite Bay. District 5: The cities of Auburn and Colfax, and the Western Sierra Nevada foothills to the Eastern Sierra Nevada, including the Tahoe Basin. Although Placer County is not expected to receive census data until Sept. 24, Placer County Senior Planner Nikki Streegan said growth can be anticipated in Districts 1, 2 and 3, but exact numbers will not be known until the census data is received. With the population growth, district lines will have to shift to create population equality within each zone. Based on 2019 projections of American Community Survey data, Streegan noted Placer's population has grown from 350,000 to 385,000 in the past decade. Questions raised by the commission included whether permits for housing could be pulled for the last 10 years, and if future developments and incoming residents could be considered, especially in the Tahoe Basin. Streegan confirmed the new district lines will be determined based solely on existing population during the time census data was collected and not anticipated growth; however, permits could be reviewed to anticipate what growth the data will project. Placer County Counsel Clayton Cook confirmed all districts need to be roughly the same population, but a 5-percent deviation is allowed to anticipate growth in the future. The commission also received suggestions from the public on potential options for redrawing district lines. Recommendations included all of Auburn, including North Auburn, into District 5, making more of an effort to engage the far eastern portion of the county, encouraging more permanent residence in District 5 and keeping the city of Rocklin within one district. Other recommendations commenters provided were to hold meetings later in the day so more residents could participate in the redistricting process and to reach out to residents about the process on Nextdoor and Facebook. Streegan said she will confirm with the county's public information office about posting on social media, and evening meetings will be held over the course of the summer. Residents can find more information about the process and upcoming meetings at placer.ca.gov/redistricting. Streegan said the website has a survey residents can complete, inclusive of mapping communities by interests like wildfire concerns.