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Huntington Park holds first of four hearings on switch to by‑district elections; demographer urges public input
Summary
At a public hearing, a demographer from National Demographics Corporation explained legal rules under the Federal Voting Rights Act and the California Voting Rights Act for a planned transition from at‑large to by‑district elections, outlined a four‑meeting schedule and urged residents to submit community‑based maps and feedback.
HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. — Huntington Park city leaders held the first of four public hearings on moving from at‑large to by‑district city council elections on Oct. 28, with a demographer from the National Demographics Corporation (NDC) laying out legal constraints and a timeline for drawing new council districts.
The NDC representative told the council and residents that the process is designed to balance equal population, compliance with the Voting Rights Act and California law, and respect for “communities of interest.” “What’s most important for us is to hear from you,” the demographer said, urging people to define neighborhoods, consider local environmental concerns and submit draft maps via the city’s interactive tools.
The consultant explained the schedule required by state law: two initial hearings (the first held Oct. 28 and the second scheduled for Nov. 10), draft maps produced between hearings, and at least four hearings before the council adopts a map. The demographer also described the numerical constraints — equal population targets (roughly 11,028 residents per district in a five‑district plan for Huntington Park), and guidance about acceptable population deviation and citizen voting‑age population (CVAP) considerations.
During a lengthy Q&A, residents and council members identified potential communities of interest to guide map drawing, including the Pacific corridor, the area around Salt Lake Park, Walnut Park–adjacent neighborhoods, and portions of the north side near Alameda and Vernon with pollution concerns. Several speakers said they worry that districting could divide the city and reduce unity; others, including multiple council members, said districts would make it easier for locally rooted candidates to run without raising large sums of money and could increase accountability. “I want this to be that double‑edged sword because that is also called accountability,” one councilmember said.
City staff committed to outreach — both digital and in‑person — and to posting interactive mapping tools and paper maps (in English and Spanish) to collect resident submissions. The demographer said draft maps will likely be produced in the third hearing and noted that residents can also submit their own maps online or in hard copy.
The public hearing was closed after council discussion and public comment. The process will continue at the scheduled next hearing, and the city will accept public submissions and feedback between hearings.
