The City of La Verne is considering moving to by-district elections, which would create equally populated districts for the purposes of electing a City Council Member.
Your input is needed to draw voting districts for City Council Members, and one way you can participate is by assisting in developing a list of “communities of interest” (COI) that can be utilized in the process to draw district lines.
What is a Community of Interest (COI)?
A Community of Interest is a group of people that: share common social or economic interests, live in a geographically definable area, and should be included within a single district for purposes of effective and fair representation in future elections.
There are some communities of interest that are considered “protected classes” in that they have rights through state or federal civil rights or voting rights laws. Some examples of protected classes in districting would be ethnic and racial minorities such as a concentration of Latinx, Asian, or African American people.
There are other potential COI that can also be considered in districting, such as: senior citizens, college students, people who live in a particular neighborhood, or even people who share concerns such as parents with young children, bicycle enthusiasts, topic interest group, etc.
COI does not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
What You Can Do to Participate in the Process
1. Provide your comments on your community of interest by completing the online COI worksheet below.
2. Complete the COI worksheet and send it as an attachment via the Contact form here, or return a hard copy to City Hall at 3660 D St. La Verne, CA 91750. If you need additional space for your responses to the questions, then please feel free to attach a sheet of paper.
3. Attend one of the Public Hearings.