Long’s district is far-ranging and includes the Santa Clara River Valley cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru, Lockwood Valley, La Conchita, Camarillo and portions of Ojai, among others.Flynn’s Oxnard District 5 has swelled with what the census figures show is an overly hefty number of residents, almost 160,000, while Bennett’s District 1 covering Ventura and portions of the Ojai Valley has shrunk to about 140,000 residents.Initial proposed districts put supervisors all over the map, with Long picking up El Rio, Las Posas Valley and Somis from two supervisors; another map would have given her more area in the Thousand Oaks-Newbury Park area. Yet another plan shifted parts of the Las Posas Valley to Long as well as the Oxnard Plain and Cal State University, Channel Islands. Yet another plan would have taken away part of her Camarillo base in exchange for Port Hueneme.Many Somis residents opposed to plans to widen the 118 through their area have already said they want Long instead of Mikels, who supports the road widening. Supporters of the shift, who spoke at the May 22 supervisors meeting, said Somis has more in common with Long’s Santa Clara River Valley agricultural area, and patronize shops in Long’s Camarillo district.Long lacks about 4,000 residents to be in line with the new requirement of roughly 150,000 residents per district.Supervisors will continue to carve out districting with new configurations.
Supervisors: District tradeoffs being addressed to bring numbers parity
June 01, 2001
Santa Paula News
Santa Paula just might have more in common with the Las Posas Valley, Somis and El Rio under one plan that would enlarge the 3rd District of Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSanta Paula just might have more in common with the Las Posas Valley, Somis and El Rio under one plan that would enlarge the 3rd District of Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long.The redistricting process started Tuesday when the Board of Supervisors got its first look at - and rejected - six proposed maps that change district boundaries, caused by the 12.6 percent increase of residents over 1990, according to the 2000 Census.Because of the added population - the total now stands at 753,179 residents - the five supervisors have found themselves with lopsided districts, with Long with a district on the small side.Supervisors Judy Mikels, John Flynn and Frank Schillo have the most to lose as their districts must be pared down to shift more residents to Long and Supervisor Steve Bennett.Federal law requires that districts be adjusted every decade to ensure that each supervisoral district is roughly equal in population, with a variance of less than 1 percent.
