Former Elk Grove mayor weighs in on city's redistricting proposal
While he's no longer in office, Gary Davis continues to follow politics impacting his city of Elk Grove.
The former mayor spoke one-on-one with KCRA 3 about the latest redistricting map done by the state's independent commission. The drafts are drawn up every ten years following a census.
"Generally, redistricting is not good for politicians, but really good for people," he said.
Davis, who was mayor from 2006-2016, found the district map drafts interesting because they not only keep Elk Grove together, but they also grab a bigger chunk from the city of Sacramento.
That's an improvement, some would say, following the previous draft. Sources tell KCRA 3 that at one point, Elk Grove was split into three assembly districts. The commission redrew that map late Monday night.
"The commission is trying to grapple with how to draw districts that are really good for the Central Valley, but also drawing districts so they are equally sized," observed Paul Mitchell, founder of Redistricting Partners, an independent consulting firm that works on redistricting and voter analysis.
"Every assembly district has to be roughly half a million people, every state senate district has to be roughly a million people, and every congressional district has to be 760,066 people, give or take one person," Mitchell added. "Balancing those needs to keep communities whole and keep districts that are equal size are like doing a real tricky puzzle."
Here's a look at the new proposal highlighted in yellow. The city of elk grove would share assembly district lines with south Sacramento, including Fruitridge Manor and parts of Oak Park.
What makes the addition of those neighborhoods being included in Elk Grove interesting, Davis said, is that Sacramento voters are not used to having to weigh in with issues in that area.
"If you look at where things are now, you'll end up with a politically moderate district," Davis said.
Much of the unincorporated areas of Elk Grove would become another district with parts of San Joaquin County.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how the commission plans to address the current congressional redistricting map for Sacramento, which splits the city into two districts.
The public is invited to submit their feedback on the proposed redistricting maps at We Draw the Lines website. The final maps must be certified by the Secretary of State by Dec. 27.