The Antelope Valley Times

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Final Palmdale Advisory Redistricting Commission meeting set for Jan. 11

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PALMDALE – The city of Palmdale’s Advisory Redistricting Commission will hold its final meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 11,  at 5:30 p.m. at the Palmdale City Council Chamber, located at 38330 Sierra Highway, Suite B. The agenda is available at https://drawpalmdale.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Agenda-1-11-2022-ARC-Meeting-final.pdf.

Public attendance will be limited, masks must be worn, and attendees must practice social distancing to the extent possible.

The meeting will also be available on Spectrum Channel 27 and via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86443311804?pwd=a1FsK1l2cWdCOTRjWU9UQlBNdlNEdz09. Residents can submit public comments during the meeting via Zoom by dialing 720-707-2699 and use webinar ID 864 4331 1804 and passcode 79810.

The commission will review draft maps received by the Jan. 3, 2022, deadline and provide a recommendation for the City Council to consider when selecting a map for adoption. Following the commission meeting, the City Council will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Palmdale City Council Chamber and via Zoom where the City Council will discuss the commission’s recommendations, draft maps and public input received.

Public meeting materials, draft maps, virtual meeting links, past meeting recordings and additional redistricting resources can also be accessed through Palmdale’s redistricting website at www.DrawPalmdale.org.

The city of Palmdale is in the final stages of its city council redistricting process which, upon completion, will determine the boundaries of City Council voting districts for the next 10 years. Using public input on communities of interest and submitted maps from the public, City Council will adopt a new map in accordance with the FAIRMAPS Act, which states districts must be:

  • Geographically contiguous (each district should share a common border with the next),
  • Respectful of the geographic integrity of local neighborhoods or communities in a manner that minimizes its division,
  • Drawn with easily identifiable boundaries that follow natural or artificial barriers (rivers, streets, highways, rail lines, etc.), and,
  • Drawn to encourage geographic compactness with boundaries not drawn for purposes of favoring or discriminating against a political party.

The fourth and final public hearing will take place during the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The City’s demographer will present the final draft maps being considered and the City Council will select a map for adoption.

Based on a statutory deadline, a new City of Palmdale district map must be adopted no later than April 17, 2022. The new map and election sequencing would then go into effect for the city’s next election cycle.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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2 comments for "Final Palmdale Advisory Redistricting Commission meeting set for Jan. 11"

  1. We don’t really need any representation on the Eastside of Lancaster. One only has to look around and you can quickly tell that nobody serving on the City Council would live there. Besides the majority of residents are not paying too close attention at any rate.

  2. When is the Lancaster Advisory Redistricting Committee’s next meeting? I’d like to ask them why we have no representation in East Lancaster. Districts would help make sure our entire city is represented. Right now all our elected officials live in West Lancaster.