The Issue:
Every 10 years following the U.S. Census, the City of Sacramento is required to redraw the Council District boundaries to balance the population among eight Council Districts. The 2010 U.S. Census population for the City of Sacramento is 466,488. In order to redistribute the population evenly, the target population for each district is 58,311 residents. The growth in North Natomas illustrates that there will be changes in the council boundaries. With over 106,000 residents, District 1 has almost double the target population.
Currently, council districts 1, 3, and 4 splinter many neighborhoods. The Central City population of each of the three districts contains approximately 7%, 29%, and 19% of each district respectively, far below the numbers necessary to ensure a district with electoral influence.
DSP Positon:
DSP’s Board of Directors approved the recommendation from the Redistricting Task Force that the Central City is a community of interest and should be included in a single City Council district to preserve the unique needs and interests of Central City neighborhoods.
Key Dates:
Citizens Advisory Committee recommendation to Council: July 2011
Boundaries determined by City Council: September 2011
DSP Board action: April 2011
