Redistricting - What it Means to UH
** This blog is updated as new info or decisions become available - see updates at the bottom **
As reported in the October 2021 issue of UHCA News,
Every ten years following the national census, state and local governments begin working on redrawing maps to account for population movements and changes. The State of California will redraw congressional districts (we’re in the 53rd district), State Assembly and Senate districts (we’re in the 78th and 39th, respectively), while The County of San Diego will work to equalize the five supervisorial districts (we’re in the 4th).
The State of California does this work through the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which was formed after a 2008 ballot initiative that put redistricting into an independent citizen-led commission. State Law requires that the County use an independent commission of appointed commissioners, and the City of San Diego requires an independent Redistricting Commission, whose work is starting now (we’re in the 3rd Council District).
The goal of all these commissions is to redraw districts in a fair, impartial, and equal way. Many of the commissions have had – or will soon have – hearings to get community input. UH community group leaders participated in the County redistricting meeting held on September 9 and voiced our strongly held belief that
University Heights needs to be represented in one district.
The City of San Diego is just starting their public hearings in the coming weeks, and due to sizable population shifts, we expect that the boundaries of the current Council District 3 (CD3) will have to be adjusted.
UHCA and UHCDC are jointly advocating that University Heights be treated as a single Community of Interest (COI) and be represented in a single Council District. We already are divided into two planning groups, with our community East of Park Boulevard in the North Park Planning Group, and West of Park in Uptown Planners. This division has caused problems for our community, with the most recent and visible one being the “North Park” traffic circles having to be corrected to say “University Heights.”
Different planning groups have different priorities for developments and public facilities, and this requires a lot of extra attention by community organizations and residents on both sides of the dividing line. Having our community further divided into two different Council Districts will dilute our community’s influence, and relationships with multiple Councilmembers will require additional time and resources to ensure our whole community has a voice and is heard.
--Community Coalition of University Heights (UHCA, UHCDC, UHHS)
What is Happening?
With the release of the 2020 census data, government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels have begun redrawing districts due to changes in population since the last census in 2010.
In the current Council District 3 map, University Heights is grouped with Downtown and many of the older neighborhoods of Uptown and Mid-City except for Kensington/Talmadge.
The goal of all these redistricting commissions is to redraw districts in a fair, impartial, and equal way. Many of the commissions are conducting public hearings to obtain community input.
UHCA, in partnership with the University Heights Community Development Corporation (UHCDC) and University Heights Historical Society (UHHS) is encouraging our members and neighbors to let the redistricting commission know your thoughts.
Current City Council DIstrict 3 Boundaries
Redistricting Goals for University Heights
The UHCA Board of DIrectors voted unanimously to support keeping UH in one district, and to keep UH in the same district as other communities of interest. We believe the most important redistricting goals for University Heights are:
To be treated as a single Community of Interest (COI) and be represented in a single district at all levels of government.
To be grouped in a single district with the historic residential communities of the Uptown and Mid-City areas that share many of the same issues and needs including Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Bankers Hill, North Park, Normal Heights, Kensington/Talmadge, Burlingame, South Park, and Golden Hill.
To not be grouped with dissimilar communities such as Downtown or Mission Valley which have very different needs and priorities.
UH is already divided into two planning groups which has caused problems for our community. Having our community further divided into different voting districts or combined with areas vastly different like Downtown and Mission Valley would dilute our community’s voice and influence.
Proposed “unity map” does not promote community
Proposed “Unity Map”
The boundaries of San Diego City Council District 3 (where UH is located) will have to be redrawn due to increased population in District 3. One of the Commission’s goals is to create Districts with approximately the same population size of approximately 154,433 people.
While there is not much chance that University Heights will be split by redistricting at any level of government, competing proposals have been submitted by members of the public to the City Redistricting Commission that would group University Heights with other vastly dissimilar communities.
Once such proposal, dubbed the “Unity Map” would redraw Council District 3 to group University Heights with Mission Valley in addition to Downtown and Little Italy, all largely commercial, multi-family and fast-growing communities (see map above). We fear that our needs, and those of our neighboring established, residential communities, would suffer as a result.
At the City Redistricting Commission meeting on September 28th, the groups proposing the “Unity Map” claimed to “have worked with over 20 community organizations” in developing their map. However, none of the community organizations in UH were contacted for input.
Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map a Better Alternative
Proposed Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map
The Community Coalition of University Heights is proposing an alternative to the Unity Map for District 3 called the Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map. This map continues to group University Heights with the older more established residential neighborhoods of Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Bankers Hill, North Park, Normal Heights, Burlingame, South Park, and Golden Hill.
This map keeps University Heights as a single Community of Interest (COI), and continues to group University Heights with the older, more established residential neighborhoods of Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Bankers Hill, North Park, Normal Heights, Burlingame, South Park, and Golden Hill.
We also propose the addition of the older, residential communities of Kensington-Talmadge and the College area to District 3. The College area is home to San Diego State University, which had its beginnings at the Normal School in University Heights in 1898.
The Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map excludes the largely commercial, multi-family, and fast-growing communities of Downtown, Little Italy, and Mission Valley which have very different needs and priorities.
Our map also respects existing neighborhood and community planning group boundaries and does not split them into different Council districts. The Unity Map would split Normal Heights into two Council Districts.Please Submit your Comments by October 4th
Please Submit your Comments by Monday, October 4th
The Redistricting Commission will meet again on Tuesday, October 5th to review all of the feedback from community meetings and submissions to their web site, and will begin redrawing the maps. It is very important that the Commission hear from as many residents of University Heights as possible. Please take the following steps by Monday, October 4th:
Step 1: Support the Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map
Scroll down to the “Submission Form”
Click on “Add a Comment”
Type in the ID of the submission: p5063
Submit the following comments and feel free to add your own:
“I support the Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map proposed by the Community Coalition of University Heights because it keeps my neighborhood of University Heights as a single Community of Interest (COI), and groups University Heights with the older residential communities of the Uptown, Mid-City, and College areas. It also excludes the largely commercial, multi-family, and fast-growing communities of Downtown, Little Italy, and Mission Valley which have very different needs and priorities. The Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods Map also respects existing neighborhood and community planning group boundaries and does not split them into different Council districts.”
Step 2: Oppose the Unity Map
Scroll down to the “Submission Form”
Click on “Add a Comment”
Type in the ID of the submission: p5007
Submit the following comments and feel free to add your own:
“As a resident of University Heights, I oppose the Unity Map because it groups the older communities of Uptown, Mid-City, and the College area with the largely commercial, multi-family, and fast-growing communities of Downtown, Little Italy, and Mission Valley which have very different needs and priorities. Also, none of the community organizations in University Heights were consulted in the development of the Unity Map.”
Updated - October 24
Proposed Interim Map by Redistricting Commission, October 12
The Road to a New District 3 Map
In meetings leading up to the “Interim Proposed” map being produced, a proposed “Unity Map” developed by Alliance San Diego was proposed and garnered a number of public comments in support. This map has generated a lot of debate across San Diego because it would split UCSD from LaJolla and join it with Clairemont to create an Asian American empowerment district. That plan also would redraw D4 to be more African American-centric, and D8 and D9 to be more Latinx-centric.
Another proposal, “MId City Mesa” map would have split UH along community planning group lines. In response to both of these proposals, and to promote our community’s interests, CCUH created an “Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods” map proposal and reached out to our community through email and social media asking UH residents to view the Commission web site and comment on the Unity Map and our own proposal.
October 5th & 12th Redistricting Commission Special Meeting
The Commissioners presented what they heard from previous meetings. Commissioner Roy MacPhail, who represents District 3, presented the “themes” from the various proposals, including keeping Downtown in a single council district, keeping UH intact, not splitting Normal Heights, and keeping District 3 as an LGBT “empowerment district.”
Commissioner MacPhail also referenced the “Unity Map,” as well as the “Mid City Mesa Map” which had been presented at the District 9 meeting, but was not available on the website for public comment, although it had significant impact on District 3. As noted above, the “Mid-City Mesa” map presented would split UH into two different Council Districts along the same lines as we are split between Community Planning Groups: west of Park would stay in District 3 and east of Park would move to District 9.
CCUH members Marc Johnson, Kristin Harms, and Ernie Bonn each spoke out about the need for UH to remain intact, and that a proposed “Uptown & Mid-City Neighborhoods” map had been submitted and had the highest number of supporting comments of any submission. CCUH members also noted that the “Unity Map” had garnered the highest number of comments against it. After the meeting, CCUH submitted a formal letter to the Commission restating our position, and we continued dialog with other groups who would potentially be negatively impacted by the other redistricting proposals, including Golden Hill and Normal Heights.
As the October 12th meeting started, it was announced that Commissioner Mitz Lee from District 6 had resigned and was replaced by an alternate Commissioner. Voice of San Diego later reported that Lee resigned due to improper influence on the redistricting process connected to her involvement with the Asian Pacific American Coalition.
Alliance San Diego and their coalition partners presented an updated “Unity Map 2.0,” which proposed keeping Golden Hill in District 3 and moving all of Normal Heights, intact, into District 9 (while still moving Mission Valley and Downtown into District 3).
Marc Johnson and Ernie Bonn, speaking on behalf of CCUH, raised the issue of the “Mid-City Mesa” splitting UH and how that would damage our community and disenfranchise us by moving an important part of our community, including Old Trolley Barn Park, into District 9. Attendees, including CCUH, also voiced issues with the “Unity Map” (1.0 and 2.0) and how it would impact their communities.
At the end of the meeting, instructions were voted on for the next phase, when the consulting group, Haymarket DNA, would work on building proposed new districts, using all the public comments and submitted maps, and guided by the Commissioners’ instructions. These instructions for District 3, after some discussion and amendments, include the following:
• Recognize that District 3 has a strong LGBT presence and has elected several LGBT members to the local and state legislature.
• Consider a map where Golden Hill stays in District 3.
• Try to provide a map where the Normal Heights Community Planning Area is wholly within District 3 or District 9.
• Consider assigning the neighborhoods of Adams North and Normal Heights to different districts if necessary, for population balance.
• Try to keep downtown San Diego intact and in one council district.
• Try to keep University Heights in one district, preferably District 3.
What’s Next & What Can You Do?
The CCUH proposed CD3 map, while gaining a large number of positive comments and support in testimony, has not been included in the Commission maps or influenced their consultants. Every district map impacts other districts, and in order to get fair and equal sized districts, everyone will have to accept something that may not be their desired outcome.
CCUH believes that the current “Interim Proposed Map” (shown on page 1) is probably close to what we will end up with, and that means that our Councilmember will be representing UH, in addition to Hillcrest, North Park, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, Old Town, Downtown, Little Italy, Golden Hill, South Park, and Mission Valley (to I-15). While UH is represented entirely within CD3, it is less than ideal as the priorities and needs of UH are vastly different than fast-growing, retail-dominated Mission Valley.
The commission will present a final map in November and have public hearings through December. CCUH will have people attending those meetings to raise UH concerns and try to ensure the best outcome we can get from this process. You can view information on attending upcoming meetings, read (and offer) public comments at the Commission’s website: https://www.sandiego.gov/redistricting-commission. You can also keep up to date on what CCUH is doing to advocate for our community at our website blog: https://www.uhsd.org/blog or sign up for email updates by sending a note to cd@uhsd.org.