HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210306_LegistativePlatformLetter_SB443City of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org
April 6, 2021
The Honorable Josh Newman
California State Senate
State Capitol, Room 4066
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: SB 443 (Newman): Elections: redistricting
As introduced 2/16/21 – OPPOSE.
Dear Senator Newman:
The City of San Luis Obispo must respectfully oppose SB 443, which would establish the
same criteria for redistricting of California’s local agencies as that established by voters for
congressional, Senate, Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts. Regrettably, the
city disagrees with this policy choice, especially given the redistricting challenges currently
facing California counties due to delayed data from the United States Census Bureau.
Assembly Bill 849 (Bonta) of 2019 established new redistricting criteria, as well as public
outreach and access requirements during the redistricting process. These provisions were
negotiated in good faith to provide cities and counties with ample time to prepare for the 2021
redistricting process without imposing unreasonable costs and practical challenges. We
simply do not see the need for further amendment.
Further, the United States Census Bureau has informed the nation’s states and local
governments that data from the 2020 census will not be made available for redistricting
purposes until September 30, 2021. This delay dramatically impacts California’s 2021
redistricting process, as our statutes and constitutional obligations consider circumstances in
which data is provided months earlier.
The delay in receipt of census data has caused considerable uncertainty as to local agencies’
ability to approve boundaries in a timely way; it would be wholly inappropriate to consider
changing redistricting criteria amid managing this level of uncertainty.
While we understand the desire to have consistent criteria for redistricting across California
district boundaries, SB 443 is not necessary to ensure fair districts in California cities and
counties. However, SB 443 does have the potential to further complicate an already complex
and challenging circumstance with 2021 redistricting and does not guarantee an accurate
reflection of the unique characteristics and demographics of each community.
For these reasons, the city of San Luis Obispo opposes SB 443 (Newman).
Sincerely,
Heidi Harmon
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc: The Honorable Steve Glazer, Chair, Senate Elections and Constitutional
Amendments Committee
San Luis Obispo City Council
State Senator John Laird, fax (916) 651 – 4917
State Assembly Member Jordan Cunningham, fax (916) 319-2135
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities, dmullinax@cacities.org
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdesmond@cacities.org