Pasadena Redistricting, Part II: How You Can Get Involved 10/14/21
The process of redistricting occurs every 10 years, where elected or appointed officials outline geographical units for purposes of political representation. The process is regulated by federal and state law requirements to ensure fair representation for all residents. The City is providing a free, web-based, mapping software to help local residents and community groups participate in the redistricting process. The online software, located at https://www.cityofpasadena. net/city-clerk/redistricting, is available to help the public prepare and submit boundaries and communities of interest for the Pasadena Redistricting Taskforce’s consideration. The fi rst two tools allow residents to explore and review the same data and information that the consultants are working with. The second two assist residents in the actual drawing of maps and boundaries. Story Map is a simple tool to help identify communities of interest by allowing the user to tour different layers of data on a map of Pasadena. This is an interactive, web-based story where you can look at neighborhoods, metro lines, city parks, land use and zoning, and landmark and historic districts. There is also demographic information, such as age and ethnicity that can be viewed. Users can explore by zooming in and out, and dragging and moving different parts of the map to get ideas of how to defi ne a community of interest. Another interactive tool to review maps is ArcGIS Online. It uses data from the Story Map, but gives residents more power to create layers or add multiple types of data on a map. For individuals who want to participate, but who would like to do it manually, there is the Paper Mapping Kit, a toolkit for drawing maps and identifying communities of interest on paper. It has streets labels, freeways, and the current city council districts. With a pencil, users can identify the community components they want within their council district at the end of this process. Users can draw the boundaries or information on the map, include their name and email (optional), and include on the back a written description of why the boundaries were created. It can be mailed into the city. The document is available online for downloading. DistrictR is the tool for drawing communities of interest online. Users are able to select the components of the community and the boundaries are automatically created. Once users are satisfi ed with the product, they can type in the rationale for the selection. This tool will also give the estimated number of people that will live in the area. The map can be offi cially submitted with one click of the save button. There is also a link that will allow users to share the map with friends and neighbors. Although these tools are easy to use and navigate, there are other opportunities to provide your input on what communities of interest should be grouped together. Residents may also get involved by sending an email to Redistricting Taskforce member, Patrice Marshall McKenzie, at patrice.rtf2021@gmail.com. Include in the email what is important to you regarding who you want to represent you. The message should be no more than 5-7 sentences that include the following: 1) resident’s name, 2) district, 3) response to the prompt, “My community is important because…”(explain areas in which your area has cohesion—issues, landmarks, businesses, etc.). Additional input may be submitted to correspondence@ cityofpasadena.net prior to the start of the Task Force meeting. For the month of October, there are weekly, online Saturday meetings at 9:00 a.m. Visit the website for more information. Members of the public may provide live public comment by submitting an online speaker card form at the following webpage: www.cityofpasadena. net/city-clerk/public-commentredistricting; or by calling the City Clerk’s Office at (626) 744-4124 to receive instructions or assistance on completing a speaker card. |
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