Redistricting Commission members have spent the past two weeks reviewing the 100-plus maps submitted by the public for drawing Santa Barbara County’s five supervisorial districts.
They started narrowing down to a handful of “focus maps” and plan to pick a final map on Dec. 4 and adopt one on Dec. 8, according to Commission Chair Glenn Morris.
It may seem jarring to get from 115 to one in less than a month, Morris noted at a meeting last week, but that’s the timeline the commission is working with.
This is the first time the Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission is choosing the map to split the county into five districts that elect the five members on the Board of Supervisors, rather than supervisors choosing the map themselves.
Local voters chose this method by supporting the Measure G ballot measure in 2018.
Pandemic-related delays caused counties to get 2020 U.S. Census information late, and that shortened the timeline for map adoption.
At the Nov. 18 meeting, commissioners chose 10 focus maps which they will discuss at Monday night’s meeting.
“Guadalupe and Isla Vista seem to be the two hinge points, as they are currently the twin anchors of the Third District that cuts across the county,” explains the commission’s redistricting consultant, Daniel Phillips of the National Demographics Corporation, in a presentation prepared for the meeting.
Since the population is fairly equal between the North and Mid-County communities and South County communities of Santa Barbara County, redistricting has focused on which communities to pair up to create the Third District. The current Third District stretches all the way from Guadalupe, near Santa Maria, south to Isla Vista, in the Goleta Valley, about 75 miles away.
The 10 focus maps chosen by commissioners last week include maps that join Guadalupe with Santa Maria; join Guadalupe with Orcutt; and join Guadalupe with Isla Vista.
The focus maps also include maps that join Isla Vista with Santa Barbara or join Isla Vista with Lompoc.
Scroll down to view the consultant presentation prepared for Monday’s meeting that shows the 10 focus maps for Santa Barbara County redistricting.
The 10 Focus Maps
Visit the Redistricting Commission website at https://drawsantabarbaracounty.org/view-draft-maps/ to view all of the draft maps and the 10 focus maps.
You can also click each link below to view the proposed map and district-level demographic information.
Upcoming Meetings
» Monday, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m., meeting in person in Santa Barbara and accessible via Zoom. Narrow down submitted maps under consideration to a group of four or five focus maps.
Meeting held at Planning Commission Room, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara.
» Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m., meeting in person in Santa Maria and accessible via Zoom. Narrow to two or three focus maps.
Meeting held at Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Administration Building Board Hearing Room, 511 East Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria.
» Saturday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m., meeting in person in Santa Barbara and accessible via Zoom. Identify preferred map (continued).
Meeting held at Planning Commission Room, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara.
» Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m., meeting in person in Santa Barbara and accessible via Zoom.
All meetings can be viewed live via Zoom, with links on the agenda website here: https://drawsantabarbaracounty.org/calendar-agenda/.
The county redistricting page with the meeting calendar, draft maps and other information is available here: https://drawsantabarbaracounty.org/.
Santa Barbara County Redistricting Committee Presentation for Nov. 22, 2021 Meeting
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.