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“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
October 11, 2021
La Mirada will conduct a workshop to receive input from the community regarding the redrawing of election district boundaries. The workshop will be held at the La Mirada Resource Center, 13710 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada, California 90638 on October 28, 2021.
Every ten years, districts must be redrawn so that each district is substantially equal in population. This process, called redistricting, is important in ensuring that each City Councilmember represents about the same number of constituents. In La Mirada, the City Council is responsible for drawing council districts. Redistricting is done using U.S. Census data, and the redistricting process must be completed by December 15, 2021.
To the extent practicable, district lines will be adopted using the following criteria: (1) geographically contiguous districts (each city council district should share a common border with the next), (2) the geographic integrity of local neighborhoods or communities shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division, (3) geographic integrity of a city shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division, (4) easily identifiable boundaries that follow natural or artificial barriers (rivers, streets, highways, rail lines, etc.), and (5) lines shall be drawn to encourage geographic compactness. In addition, districts shall respect communities of interest as much as possible. A community of interest is a population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effectiveness and fair representation. Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents or political candidates.
During the workshop, you will have an opportunity to share how you think district boundaries should be drawn to best represent your community. You can contact the City Clerk at (562) 943-0131 to find out more about how the process works. Additional information is on the City’s website at www.cityoflamirada.org.