The Pomona Independent Redistricting Commission completed its redistricting process by adopting Resolution No. 2022-01, establishing a new City Council district map. The six-district map can be reviewed online on the City’s website at DrawPomona.org/Selected-Map.
Councilmembers will continue to serve under the same election cycle with Council seats for districts 2, 3 and 5 being up for election in November 2022, and districts 1, 4 and 6 as well as the Mayor’s seat up for reelection in 2024.
The City began the redistricting process in March 2021 after the City Council established an Independent Redistricting Commission made up of seven residents to determine the final map of the City’s election districts. The City hired National Demographics Corporation (NDC) to serve as the demographer for their redistricting process and Tripepi Smith to assist with outreach efforts. The City began recruiting for residents to serve on the Commission and launched its dedicated redistricting website, DrawPomona.org. The website provides background information about redistricting, a schedule of meetings, mapping tools, draft maps submitted throughout the process and answers to frequently asked questions.
To gather public input and insights on the redistricting process, the City of Pomona held regularly scheduled meetings on the fourth Wednesday of each month. In total, the Commission held five public hearings, five public meetings and two virtual community workshops:
- June 23, 2021 – Commission Meeting
- July 28, 2021 – First Public Hearing
- August 25, 2021 – Second Public Hearing
- September 22, 2021 – Commission Meeting
- October 27, 2021 – Commission Meeting
- November 13, 2021 – Virtual Community Workshop
- December 15, 2021 – Virtual Community workshop
- January 26, 2022 – Third Public Hearing
- February 23, 2022 – Fourth Public Hearing
- March 10, 2022 – Fifth Public Hearing
- March 23, 2022 – Commission Meeting
- April 7, 2022 – Commission Meeting
The community workshops gave residents an opportunity to learn more about the redistricting process, share their input on communities of interest and explain how they would like their district boundaries to be drawn. The City’s demographer also demonstrated how to use the mapping tools that were made available for the public to use to create maps.
At the public hearings, the Commission received an overview and requirements of the process, reviewed public comments and discussed draft maps submitted by the public and created by the demographer. The Commission held additional meetings to continue the public discussion and identification of local communities of interest.
“The Commission worked hard to adopt a map that incorporated the submitted public comments and identified communities of interest,” said Chair Aldo Yanez Ruiz. “I am grateful to the hard work of my fellow commissioners and the dedicated public who attended our 12 meetings and workshops to help create our final map. Our unanimous vote further proves that we believe that this map is the most representative of our unique City and various communities.”
The City and Commission worked for nearly a year encouraging participation in the City’s redistricting process through various forms of outreach. The City shared information and publicized the process via a dedicated redistricting website; emails, phone calls and texts to community-based organizations and subscribers; social media posts; newspaper and social media advertisements; flyers; and press releases.
At its Commission meeting on March 23, 2022, the Pomona Independent Redistricting Commission live-edited one of its focus maps with public comments in mind and unanimously voted to move forward the map for final consideration at the Commission’s final meeting. The map was unanimously approved via resolution on April 7.
View the selected map and determine which district you reside in at drawpomona.org/selected-map. For additional information regarding the conclusion of the redistricting process, visit drawpomona.org or contact the City Clerk by phone at (909) 620-2341.