Population growth in Placer County to shift political boundaries

Looking Back at the 2011 district growth

Roseville, Calif.- After receipt of data from the federal Census 2010 in late March, Placer County has begun the process of modifying supervisorial districts to reflect population changes. The Board of Supervisors recently held a workshop where they received a report from the County’s Community Development/Resource Agency on how supervisorial district boundaries will need to be changed to comply with state and federal law.

Every 10 years, a census count is taken of every resident in the nation. This count, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is used to determine where a multitude of services are located, including schools, childcare centers, roads, public transportation, hospitals and other facilities. The Census data is also used for geographically defining legislative districts, and enables County officials to realign supervisorial districts, taking into account population shifts since Census 2000. The changes in boundaries assure equal representation for residents in compliance with the “one-person, one-vote” principle of the federal 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Overall, Placer County population has grown in the past 10 years by 100,947 people to a total of 348,432. Each of the five supervisorial districts experienced some degree of growth over the past 10 years.

However, some experienced significantly more growth than others:

• District 1, increase of 21,812 people, or 41.64 percent;
• District 2, increase of 55,295 people, or 111.52 percent;
• District 3, increase of 6874 people, or 14.82 percent;
• District 4, increase of 15,958 people, or 31.26 percent; and
• District 5, increase of 1,008 people, or 2.10 percent.

The Board decided, at its Jan. 25, 2011 workshop, to review development of new supervisorial districts boundaries once the Census 2010 data was available. The Board chose to use public deliberations at one or more public hearings, as is dictated by state law. The Supervisors will then be required to have one additional public hearing to address any proposal. The deadline for redistricting is Nov. 1, 2011.

Since the January meeting, a redistricting team consisting of the County Executive Office, County Counsel, the County Clerk-Recorder and the Community Development/Resource Agency have met to outline a process for the Board to use in adjusting district boundaries.

An analysis of the population change data shows that significant adjustments are needed for Supervisorial districts 2, 3 and 5. For parity, each of the five Placer County districts will need to contain approximately 69,686 people. The largest changes will be to District 2, which will need to lose 35,194 people, and District 5, which will need to gain 20,589 people to reach the identified parity number.

The Board, at its January workshop, agreed to share any information on altering district boundaries with the County’s Municipal Advisory Councils. Additionally, the County Clerk-Recorder has agreed to provide community outreach to city councils, the Placer County Water Agency, special districts, school districts and other interested parties.

(originally published May 15, 2011)