Read the Early December 2023 issue of the Fullerton Observer Today

Re: “Will District 5 Get Mayoral Representation at the City Council Meeting on December 5?” By Jack Hutt, Early December, 2023

I believe the author is quite wrong in his assertion that former Fullerton City Council member Jesus Silva was “Gerrymandered out of District 3” in 2022.

Council district lines were updated in 2022 following the national census. The 2022 council district boundaries are far more regular in form than those in the map adopted in 2016–a map whose irregularly shaped districts all literally fit the definition of Gerrymandering. The 2022 map eliminated the snaking tendrils from each of the five districts that reached from all city borders to subdivide the central downtown area, including the sliver of District 3 that reached all the way from Fullerton’s eastern edge near CSUF to the Silva residence in the middle of the city. In 2022 the Silva residence and its surrounding neighborhoods were very sensibly moved to District 2 in the north center of Fullerton, despite the efforts of Silva and his supporters to retain a less eccentrically shaped but nonetheless Gerrymandered District 3 that would have preserved the lateral orientation stretching from CSUF to Silva’s home in the city’s center.

I challenge anyone reading these comments to compare the 2016 and 2022 maps and decide for themselves which one has Gerrymandered districts. Just look at those salamander tails in the old map…

The Observer seems intent on deliberately misrepresenting the history of the 2022 district map revision to its readers. In a story from March of this year Silva was said to have been “forced to step down” from the council following the adoption of the 2022 map, even though he had served his full four year term, because he would have to wait two years to run again in the newly defined District 2.

No one could claim that political considerations were entirely absent from the adoption of the old or new district maps, but we should try to be fair in our assessments about who benefitted from each one. Arguably, it was Silva himself who benefitted from his inclusion in the old District 3, which included the more liberal leaning university area. And let’s not forget that in 2022 when it was clear that Silva didn’t have the support of enough of the council to remain in District 3 he tried to change the order of when districts would elect council members, which would have disenfranchised thousands of households in District 3 for two years just so that one person, Jesus Silva, wouldn’t have to wait two years to run for office again.

3 replies »

Fritz von Coelln says:

November 26, 2023 at 7:14 pm

love the color photos

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Matthew Leslie says:

November 28, 2023 at 10:13 am

Re: “Will District 5 Get Mayoral Representation at the City Council Meeting on December 5?” By Jack Hutt, Early December, 2023

I believe the author is quite wrong in his assertion that former Fullerton City Council member Jesus Silva was “Gerrymandered out of District 3” in 2022.

Council district lines were updated in 2022 following the national census. The 2022 council district boundaries are far more regular in form than those in the map adopted in 2016–a map whose irregularly shaped districts all literally fit the definition of Gerrymandering. The 2022 map eliminated the snaking tendrils from each of the five districts that reached from all city borders to subdivide the central downtown area, including the sliver of District 3 that reached all the way from Fullerton’s eastern edge near CSUF to the Silva residence in the middle of the city. In 2022 the Silva residence and its surrounding neighborhoods were very sensibly moved to District 2 in the north center of Fullerton, despite the efforts of Silva and his supporters to retain a less eccentrically shaped but nonetheless Gerrymandered District 3 that would have preserved the lateral orientation stretching from CSUF to Silva’s home in the city’s center.

I challenge anyone reading these comments to compare the 2016 and 2022 maps and decide for themselves which one has Gerrymandered districts. Just look at those salamander tails in the old map…

The Observer seems intent on deliberately misrepresenting the history of the 2022 district map revision to its readers. In a story from March of this year Silva was said to have been “forced to step down” from the council following the adoption of the 2022 map, even though he had served his full four year term, because he would have to wait two years to run again in the newly defined District 2.

No one could claim that political considerations were entirely absent from the adoption of the old or new district maps, but we should try to be fair in our assessments about who benefitted from each one. Arguably, it was Silva himself who benefitted from his inclusion in the old District 3, which included the more liberal leaning university area. And let’s not forget that in 2022 when it was clear that Silva didn’t have the support of enough of the council to remain in District 3 he tried to change the order of when districts would elect council members, which would have disenfranchised thousands of households in District 3 for two years just so that one person, Jesus Silva, wouldn’t have to wait two years to run for office again.

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- David W Zenger says:
  
  November 29, 2023 at 5:14 pm
  
  All correct.
  
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