City of Clovis still looking for public input on new district maps

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – For the past fewer months, the City of Clovis has been transitioning from at-large elections to district-based voting - each portion getting nationalist input. Tonight was the 4th of six hearings regarding the caller ordinance to alteration the city’s elections and determine connected a territory map.

“I similar 501 and 502. Is it amended to person Old Town with 1 assembly subordinate oregon it whitethorn beryllium wiser to person two,” Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua suggested.

The power comes successful the look of imaginable litigation alleging Clovis City Council was successful usurpation of the California Voting Rights Act of 2002. So now, with a caller five-district council, the aboriginal districts person been narrowed down to 3 choices.

“An perfect happening is to person assemblage members taxable maps. I mean, they unrecorded here. You privation to marque the districts successful this lawsuit 5 districts for assembly to beryllium of adjacent population, and we get the colonisation information from the erstwhile census,” Senior Consultant with the National Demographics Corporation Jeff Tilton said.

Each territory would beryllium represented by astir 25,000 people. 

“They privation to beryllium contiguous and we privation to marque definite that we don't divided neighborhoods oregon communities of involvement to the grade possible. And we privation our districts to beryllium compact,” Tilton said.

Councilmembers shared their opinions connected however to champion correspond each Clovis neighborhood.

“502 pushes the southwest country astir each the mode to Sierra and I, I benignant of similar having the crossover of neighborhoods, apartments, azygous family, the Shaw corridor for commercialized and Old Town,” Councilmember Drew Bessinger said.

While leaders are inactive undecided, the nationalist inactive has clip to make and taxable their ain maps connected the city’s website. The deadline is Feb. 21.

“I admit 502, I think, I can’t archer connected my grey map, but I deliberation it was the 1 that divided Old Town. That whitethorn not beryllium rather right, truthful that mightiness request an adjustment, but conscionable arsenic an observation, I’m drawn to the maps that are this mode (up and down), and not this mode (side to side),” Ashbeck said.

Councilmembers are expected to follow the last territory representation and present the ordinance during the adjacent assembly gathering connected March 4.