Possible Changes for Antioch in State Redistricting Plans
Proposed new congressional district map for Antioch and far East County
By Allen Payton, Publisher
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission released their first draft maps of state legislative, congressional and Board of Equalization district maps during a press conference on Friday, June 10 and no one was completely pleased. That could mean they probably did something right.
It could mean most of Antioch and far East County will get new representation in Washington, D.C., because the proposed maps include Antioch in a northern San Joaquin County congressional district where no member of Congress currently lives.
While leaving most of the cities and communities in Contra Costa County whole, they split the county into four congressional districts, four Assembly districts and three State Senate Districts. The congressional districts must be equal in population of either 702,904 or 702,905 (since the state’s total population of 37,253,956 isn’t evenly divisable by 53). But a one percent (1%) deviation has been allowed by the Commission for the Assembly districts (which have an equal population of 465,675) and State Senate districts (which have an equal population of 931,349).
The proposed congressional district map combines Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Knightsen and Byron in Contra Costa County, with Mountain House, Stockton, Lathrop, Lodi and most of the rest of the communities in San Joaquin County to the north, connecting the two areas by Highways 4 and 12. Just like the current congressional districts, the line is split at the Antioch-Pittsburg city limits, except for a small section of Antioch, in the southwest part of the city, with a population of about 4,800 residents, that was cut off from the rest of the city along Somersville Road.
In order to recombine that area with the rest of the city, other parts of the proposed district need to move into an adjacent district. If it’s not the same district from where the population was transferred, then a domino effect takes place and changes to multiple districts must be done by the mappers.
The good news is, following the press conference, a variety of the Commissioners stated that if the population shifts can be made and the districts remain balanced (that is equal in population), then they will consider alternative maps. So changes to the proposed maps are still possible, before the Commission must make its final decision by August 15.
The proposed State Assembly map for Antioch.
The proposed State Assembly district map keeps Antioch with Pittsburg and Bay Point, as well as combines it with Brentwood, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pacheco and Clayton. However it splits off Oakley, Discovery Bay and the other far East County communities and combines them in a district with Galt in Sacramento County, Lodi in San Joaquin County, most of Solano County, plus Woodland and Willows in Yolo County.
Nesting is the final criteria on the list in Proposition 11, which the voters passed in 2008 that created the commission and gave it the responsibility for redrawing the state legislative district lines (Proposition 20, which voters passed last November, added the congressional districts to the commission’s process). That places two Assembly districts inside a State Senate district, since there are 80 Assembly districts and 40 Senate districts.
The Commission’s proposed map takes the Assembly district in which Antioch was placed and combines it with the adjacent district which includes Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, the San Ramon Valley and the Tri Valley cities of Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore in Eastern Alameda County.
The proposed State Senate district for Antioch and most of Contra Costa County.
The Commission will hold hearings in the Bay Area and Northern California over the next two weeks, in Stockton, San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento to receive input on the draft maps. They will then direct their consultants to draw the 2nd draft maps for which they’ll receive written and emailed input before deciding on the final maps. For more information visit the Commission’s website at www.wedrawthelines.com.
the attachments to this post:
Cent Co Co & East Al Co St Senate map web
Cent & East Co Co Assembly map web
Antioch – North San Joaquin CD map web
