SANTA ANA : Hearing Scheduled on Ward Boundaries

The City Council has set a public hearing for Feb. 3 to discuss revisions to the city’s draft of a map of new ward boundaries.

The draft is expected to undergo some changes in response to concerns raised by the Orange County registrar of voters and a minority voting rights group, officials said.

But the additional fine-tuning was expected, said Francisco Gutierrez, the city manager’s executive assistant, as public discussions begin on how to shift the existing ward boundaries to reflect population changes in the 1990 census.

The county elections office has suggested that the city’s ward map be modified because about 10 voting precincts were split under the new plan.

“Any time you start making adjustments to precinct lines, it means that people will end up going to different polling places than they have traditionally done so,” said Don Taylor, assistant registrar of voters. The county, he said, was trying to diminish any inconvenience to voters.

In addition to the precinct lines, the city staff has agreed to consider the suggestions of the Orange County Hispanic Committee for Fair Elections, a group of voting rights activists that is watching the process to ensure that the new ward boundaries comply with the federal Voting Rights Act and do not dilute the voting strength of minorities.

The Latino group has proposed that the percentage of Latinos in each ward be as high as possible to improve their chances of electing a representative who will reflect their concerns.

Boundary Shifts The Santa Ana City Council will hold a public hearing on Feb. 3 to discuss revisions to the city’s draft of a map of new ward boundaries. The drafts are expected to undergo some changes in response to concerns raised by the Orange County registar of voters and minority votingrights group.