Central Fire Re-Districting: Have Your Say

COMMUNITY NEWS

Central Fire Re-Districting: Have Your Say

Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County plans a virtual hearing 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, to review two proposed maps for the 2022 board elections and listen to public input.

The newly merged Central Fire, which encompasses Aptos, La Selva, Capitola, Soquel and Live Oak, has an atlarge election system, where voters elect all board members. Current board members are Orbrad Darbro, George Lucchesi, Ken Radliff, Dave Ronco, and John Scanlon.

Lucchessi was elected in 2016, Darbro and Scanlon in 2018, all three to the Aptos/ La Selva fire board.

Radliff and Ronco were elected in 2020.

After receiving public oral communication on the possibility of violating the California Voting Rights Act — costly for other jurisdictions — it was decided to convert to a district-based system.

This new system creates five geographic areas, after which voters would choose their representatives who live in that district area. Each district must contain about 15,330 people.

The Central Fire District chose National Demographics Corp. to implement the planning, mapping and population data collection/analysis for this process.

Thus far, three public workshops have taken place.

At the Jan. 13 public hearing, four draft maps of potential voting districts were presented, and orange and purple emerged as the best two options.

The orange map proposes a 2022 election: Scanlon and Darbro in District 5 and District 4 which covers seat vacant. In 2024, District 1 (Ronco), District 2 (Radliff0 and District 3 (Lucchesi) would be up for a vote.

For the maps, go to the library in La Selva Beach or Capitola or see https://www.centralfiresc.org/2279/ Re-Districting-Process-2021-2022

A fourth public hearing will be via Zoom at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, to hear input from the public on the two maps or offer new suggestions.

Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96492480486?pwd =OXFJWE1QTG9FMm8vL1d1Q3p4VGNqQT09

Meeting ID: 964 9248 0486,

Passcode: 870046.

You may also dial in by telephone at 1-669900-6833 and enter the meeting ID and passcode above at the prompt.

If you have any connection issues, call the Administration Office at 831-479-6842.

The public is encouraged to give input up to and including any proposed revisions or suggestions for how to improve the proposed district map sections.

Public comments may be submitted via email to publiccomments@centralfiresc.org.

Aptos resident Becky Steinbruner, who reviewed the four proposed maps, wrote via email: The purple map is a “mess” and should be ruled out.

She contended Live Oak should not be split into three districts (1,2, and 4) because residents share interests.

She suggested outreach at Aptos farmers’ market; that happened Jan. 22.

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If you wish your suggestions to be included in the next written communications and/or forwarded to NDC for consideration in the next review of draft map alternatives, send via the email above scans/photos of your suggested maps or changes and include your preference for forwarding. n

For more information on this process, including information on the last 3 hearings, interactive and PDF map copies, visit: https://www.centralfiresc.org/2279/