Local Residents Voice Concerns on Redistricting Plan

The 14-member California Redistricting Commission .

The plans show new boundaries for California's 53 congressional districts, 40 state senate districts and 80 state assembly districts, as well as districts for the state Board of Equalization, which handles taxation issues.

(See Sierra Madre's proposed redistricting maps here: "")

The proposed face-lift for the state’s boundaries has raised plenty of questions and concerns, and Friday’s meeting was one of the commission’s efforts to address them.

Many of the more than 90 speakers at the hearing expressed confusion and disappointment at the draft maps, which feature boundaries that split some cities in half and, according to them, would group their cities with practical strangers.

One Arcadia resident spoke of the need to keep his city aligned with neighboring Monrovia and Sierra Madre. The proposed redistricting maps have Arcadia grouped more closely with cities to the west.

“Arcadia is a piece of a larger puzzle,” he said. “It doesn’t help to cut off the tab ends and try to juxtapose them into places they don’t fit.”

Sierra Madre resident Sandra Siraganian agreed, providing a short history of Sierra Madre, Arcadia and Monrovia to the commission to express how they are communities of common interest.

“These communities remain linked to one another,” she said. “We share a hospital … our children have developed friendships.”

But another Arcadia resident, whose name was not given, didn’t see Arcadia's separation with Monrovia and Sierra Madre as a problem. “At first look, one might assume that all the communities in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains have similar interests. That’s simply not the case.”

(Got a question about redistricting? Read Patch's FAQ: ("FAQ: California Redistricting Commission and Process")

The commissioners made no decisions at the hearing, and urged people to submit testimony and public comments online. The Whittier meeting is one of several in Southern California.

To see where the commission will be going, check here (http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/hearings.html).

Also, for more information on the commission’s work, go to (http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/hearings.html).

The plans are currently in a draft state and the final boundaries will be voted on by the commission in August.

Do you think Arcadia should be grouped with Sierra Madre and Monrovia in the new redistricting?