Fallbrook's alignment in redistricting still pending

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Following two public hearings this month, the County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission will have its final two hearings in December to determine its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

There are numerous variations of maps being considered with the Fallbrook area being an important piece in what has been described as a social and political jigsaw puzzle.

The independent commission has been tasked with recreating the five districts that govern the county. Their chore is to create districts that are even in population, based on figures from the 2020 U.S Census. Geographic, economic and cultural factors are also to be considered.

The census has shown a shift of more population growth in North County than other areas, meaning a certain shift from existing boundaries.

Fallbrook, Rainbow and Bonsall are currently in District 5, which includes Camp Pendleton, Oceanside and Escondido, plus areas north to the Riverside County border and east to the Imperial County line. Jim Desmond is the current representative for the district but there is no guarantee he will remain the Supervisor for Fallbrook.

One of the common – but not unanimous – thoughts on redistricting in the North County area is to create a Highway 78 Corridor that would include Escondido, San Marcos and Vista, plus two of three other areas – Oceanside, Carlsbad, or the greater Fallbrook area. Having all three areas would create a district larger than the average size of about 669,000 residents that each district should include.

The public has had opportunities to weigh in on the options and the upcoming meetings will welcome additional community input. Some residents support keeping neighboring Carlsbad and Oceanside together. Another consideration is Oceanside being aligned with other areas with a higher Hispanic population, not including Carlsbad. Even without Oceanside, Carlsbad has commonality with other beach cities. Leaving the Fallbrook area out of the northernmost district would position it with the East County area that has no nearby connections.

Another option suggested at the Nov. 8 meeting was to split North County on a coastal and inland basis. Nothing has been decided.

There are other regions of the county with their own "wish list" of alignments, making the commission's assignment difficult. While some residents of eastern San Diego County advocated for one district representing all unincorporated backcountry areas, state law and the county charter require unincorporated land to be split among multiple districts.

Some of the topics included at the Nov. 1 and Nov. 13 meetings were to keep East County cities together, as well as shared interests of rural communities on issues such as wildfire and water supply. Some also stated their desire to retain areas with high populations of retired and active-duty military together. Others desired seeing Asian Pacific Islander communities grouped together in the central county areas that could include Mira Mesa, Sorrento Valley and Rancho Peñasquitos, or Clairemont Mesa and Kearny Mesa.

Each proposed scenario of redistricting plans submitted by demographer FLO Analytics and the public has its own logistical challenges within the legal and mathematical puzzle.

The Nov. 8 hearing was held at the Chula Vista City Hall and the Nov. 13 meeting was virtual only.

On Dec. 2 the meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at the San Diego County Office of Education, 6401 Linda Vista Road, Room 401-402, San Diego. Like the Nov. 13 meeting, there will be a live map drawing shown and/or created. Public comments will be welcomed.

On Dec. 9, the meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego. The commission will select a draft map for adoption at that time.

For more information about the process and how to participate, visit https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/redistricting.html.