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VOLUME 30 NUMBER 26
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MARCH 3, 2011
With imminent release of 2010 U.S. Census, county redistricting process begins By Joe Tash With the results of the 2010 U.S. Census soon to be released, the County of San Diego is embarking on an exercise it undertakes every 10 years — redrawing the boundaries of the county’s five supervisorial districts to equalize their populations. The process — which is required by state and federal law — is both complex and, at times, controversial. The county successfully defended itself against lawsuits over its redistricting process after both the 1990 and 2000 census counts. In 2001, a rift occurred between members of the Board of Supervisors when a majority voted to remove Rancho Santa Fe from District 3, represented by Pam SlaterPrice, and add it to District 5, represented by Bill Horn. Escondido was moved from Horn’s district to Slater-Price’s. The board approved the change on a 4-1 vote, with Slater-Price opposed. For the current redistricting effort, supervisors in February appointed a fivemember advisory committee that will study the census data when it is released April 1, hold a series of public meetings, and then recommend up to three potential maps to the Board of Supervisors. The board is expected to vote on a final map in August. “We’ve set up a process that’s open, transparent and public… to give as much opportunity as we can to have the public participate,” said Nicole Temple, a county staffer who is overseeing the redistricting process. “I think our mandate is
pretty straightforward, to comply with federal and state laws and the county charter and come up with balanced districts,” said Adam Day, a member of the redistricting advisory committee appointed by Horn. While detailed population information is not yet available, according to the San Diego Association of Governments, the population of San Diego County grew to 3.2 million from 2.8 million between 2000 and 2010. According to Horn, preliminary information shows the population will have to be reduced in District 5, which covers a wide swath of North County from the coast to the Imperial County line. Slater-Price’s District 3 includes Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Escondido, along with the San Diego communities of Carmel Valley, La Jolla and Torrey Hills. According to preliminary information from the San Diego Association of Governments, District 3’s population stood at 659,000 in 2010, the second-highest of the five districts after District 5. In spite of assurances that the redistricting process will be fair and open, some in the community remain skeptical. They point to the fact that all five members of the current Board of Supervisors are white Republicans, and that the current makeup of the board has remained unchanged since the mid-1990s. Horn was recently elected to a fifth fouryear term, and Slater has announced she will run next
Scholars’ Circle Evening The Rancho Santa Fe Education Foundation hosted a special evening in recognition of Scholars’ Circle level donors at the RSF home of Laing and John Rikkers on Feb. 26. The evening included music, food, wine and more. (Above) Mary Gaylord, Michelle Hansen and Foundation co-chair Bill Gaylord. See more photos inside. Photos/Jon Clark
Lake Hodges reaches capacity and overflows dam •Santa Fe Irrigation District maximizing local water use for customers As a result of the recent storms, Lake Hodges Reservoir has reached capacity and has started spilling water over its dam. The last time Lake Hodges spilled over the dam was in 2005. Rains from November 2010 to date have created significant inflow to the lake and raised its level to the spillway elevation late last week. Since November, approximately 20,000 acre feet of local surface water have poured into the reservoir from the nearly 250 square mile watershed that drains into the lake. An acre foot of water is enough water to serve the needs of two typical households for a one year period. SFID and SDWD are the only agencies currently able to use Lake Hodges water as a source of water supply. At this time, the district is treating 100 percent Lake Hodges water at the R.E.Badger Filtration Plant, capturing as much of the local runoff as possible to meet consumer water demand for this time of year. Since November 2010, SFID has delivered 1,600 acre feet of water from Lake Hodges for treatment and distribution to the community. Lake Hodges Reservoir is owned and managed by the City of San Diego. SFID along with the San Dieguito Water District (SDWD) have rights to local water captured in the reservoir. The City of San Diego does not currently draw any water from the lake. Once the San Diego County Water Authority’s (SDCWA) Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Project is completed this year, the
See REDISTRICTING, page 22
See HODGES, page 22
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Click! RSF residents enjoyed an evening of fun and fundraising Feb. 25 at Click!, the International Bipolar Foundation’s interactive game show. More than $50,000 was raised at Click!, which was held at the Hilton Torrey Pines. See more inside. Photo/Jon Clark
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The Lake Hodges Reservoir has reached capacity and has started spilling water over its dam. Photo/Jon Clark
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