County of Sonoma kicks off redistricting process with Advisory Redistricting Commission

Today the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors completed its final community member appointments to the Advisory Redistricting Commission (ARC). In addition to seeking input from the public, the 19-member ARC will advise and assist the Board with redrawing supervisorial district boundaries and selecting the next district map for Sonoma County’s supervisorial elections. Each County Supervisor appointed two members to serve on the commission to represent their district. Additionally, the Board collectively appointed nine at-large appointees. The County extends its thanks to the following individuals for  olunteering their time to serve on the ARC:

• District 1: Socorro Shiels and Karen Weeks
• District 2: Judy Herrerias James and Cynthia Murray
• District 3: Chris Borr and Ed Sheffield
• District 4: Elizabeth Acosta and Jeff Okrepkie
• District 5: Ana Lugo Bedolla and Stephen Herzberg
• At-Large: Raymond Willett, Peter Rumble, Ana Horta, Stephanie Manieri, Mike Martini, Lyndsey Burcina, Kirstyne Lange, Rocio Rodriguez, Veronica Vences

The Board previously launched its redistricting process during its June 8 Board meeting with the appointment of 14 community members to the ARC. Then, during its July 13 Board meeting where the final member was to be appointed, the Board decided to continue the item to its July 20 meeting so that they could discuss expanding the size of the commission in an effort to further diversify the representation of its members.

Every 10 years, local governments use data from the Census to redraw their district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. Redistricting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for purposes of electing a County Supervisor.

Members of the Sonoma County community are invited to participate in the redistricting process to ensure district lines respect neighborhoods, communities of interest, history and geographical elements. Residents have an opportunity to share with the Board of Supervisors and ARC how they think district boundaries should be drawn to best represent their community through a mix of meetings, workshops and public hearings.

To share information about redistricting, the County of Sonoma has launched a dedicated redistricting webpage at sonomacounty.ca.gov/redistricting, which will be updated regularly with new information. The webpage includes a variety of resources including background information on redistricting, a tentative schedule of participation opportunities such as ARC and Board meetings, frequently asked questions, and resources for drafting maps and sharing feedback on previously drawn maps. The County is also coordinating with community organizations to ensure they and their constituents are aware of the redistricting process and understand how to get involved.

To sign up to receive updates and information about the redistricting process and future public meetings, or to ask questions or recommend a community group for the County to reach out to, please email Redistricting2021@sonoma-county.org.