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View Winners → Duarte City Council to hold last 2 redistricting public hearings
San Gabriel Valley Jan 05, 2022
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The Duarte City Council is holding its final two redistricting public hearings on Tuesday, Jan. 11, and Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. All hearings will be held in the Duarte City Council Chambers (1600 Huntington Drive) starting at 7:15 p.m.
Every 10 years, cities with by-district election systems must utilize new census data to review, and if needed, redraw district lines to reflect how local populations have shifted. This process, called redistricting, ensures all districts have nearly equal populations.
At the second public hearing on Tuesday, residents will have the opportunity to share input on how they believe the boundaries for council districts should be drawn. The city is seeking guidance on identifying communities of interest and other local factors that should be considered when drafting district maps.
Communities of interest are populations that share common social or economic interests. Many times, these communities of interest benefit from being in a single district to ensure equitable electoral representation. Some examples of communities of interest include:
- School attendance areas;
- Natural dividing lines such as major roads, hills, or highways;
- Areas around parks or other neighborhood landmarks;
- Common issues, neighborhood activities, or legislative concerns;
- Areas where households speak a language other than English at home.
At the hearing, the city’s demographic consultants will provide an overview of the available mapping tools. Paper and digital mapping tools will be available after the meeting on the city’s redistricting website, DrawDuarte.org. The public can submit draft maps to Redistricting@AccessDuarte.com by Thursday, Jan. 27 for consideration at the final public hearing.
The third public hearing on Feb. 8 will focus on reviewing resident-submitted draft maps, providing feedback, and identifying its focus maps. If the council presents no revisions at this hearing, a map may be selected for a preliminary first reading of the ordinance adopting council’s new district map.
Per state mandate, masks are required to be worn indoors at the public hearings.
Learn more about the city’s redistricting process, how to submit public comments, and how to draw a map by visiting DrawDuarte.org.
