The city has to redraw its district lines every decade based on new population numbers. This year, it also had to carve out a ninth City Council district. Here’s an up-close look at some of the changes in store. The black outlines and circled numbers indicate current districts, while shaded areas and numbers indicate the proposed districts. | Graphic By: Keegan Kyle
By Adrian Florido
The Redistricting Commission’s preliminary map for the City Council creates the city’s second majority-Latino district and draws Council Members Todd Gloria and Lorie Zapf out of the districts they represent. This week, the commission begins gathering public feedback on its map, which it may still tweak before its final Sept. 15 deadline to complete it.
City Heights Becomes San Diego’s Second Latino Majority District
One of the biggest changes is the city’s new 9th District, which will include City Heights at its center and have a majority Latino population, at just more than 50 percent. But many are immigrants and just a fraction of that majority is eligible to vote, meaning much of the electoral power will be in the hands of majority-white Kensington-Talmadge and College Area residents, who will also live in this new district.
The LGBT Community Tightens Its Grip, Todd Gloria Left Out:
LGBT leaders in the city’s uptown neighborhoods are happy that the 3rd District is losing City Heights, because it will expand west and south to include the gay-friendlier neighborhoods of Mission Hills, Old Town, Bankers Hill, Golden Hill and downtown. That shift solidifies the gay community’s hold on power there.
But cutting out City Heights also means cutting out the district’s current councilman. Todd Gloria lives in City Heights. He’ll have to move west of Interstate 805, the district boundary, if he wants to continue representing the city’s uptown neighborhoods. Their large LGBT community is a main base of support for Gloria. Last week, Gloria said he would continue representing District 3, even if he had to move.
Commission Takes Map to the Public
The first post-map public hearing is scheduled today at 6 p.m. at the Logan Heights Branch Library. Hearings will continue through Aug. 3, when it will take comments from Mid-City residents at the Joan B. Kroc Center at 6845 University Avenue. Click here for a full schedule
See how the proposed map affects other parts of San Diego
Find all of our redistricting coverage here