Lake Elsinore, Wildomar's Guide To Redistricting: How To Weigh In

LAKE ELSINORE/WILDOMAR, CA — Every 10 years following the release of updated U.S. Census data, cities, counties and states go through a redistricting process designed to ensure effective and fair representation for all citizens, and it's that time again. The last redistricting process was in 2011.

Redistricting is the drawing of boundaries for city council districts, county supervisorial districts, and well as state and federal legislative districts. The boundaries are based in part on population changes accounted for in the U.S. Census.

Public participation in the redistricting process is key to curbing gerrymandering, which is the practice of drawing electoral district lines to favor one political party, individual or constituency over another.

Lake Elsinore, Wildomar City Council District Boundaries

Lake Elsinore and Wildomar each have five City Council districts, with each represented by a single City Council member. Public hearings are now scheduled to allow local residents a chance to weigh in on how district lines should be drawn.

Dates and times for Lake Elsinore public hearings can be found here. The page also includes a link on how to submit written comments and how to participate in the process.

Wildomar is set to release information about its upcoming public hearings via its website, according to City Clerk Janet Morales. As of Wednesday, the information was not live but Morales said the first public hearing is tentatively set for Sept. 8. For questions, reach out to jmorales@cityofwildomar.org

The redistricting process for Lake Elsinore may get interesting. For California cities that had populations greater than 50,000 during the 2010 census, Lake Elsinore has since grown faster than any other over the last 10 years, according to newly released 2020 census data.

Get more information about the current district boundaries for Lake Elsinore here, and Wildomar here.

Lake Elsinore, Wildomar Representation At The County Level

At the county level, there are five supervisorial districts. The First District includes Lake Elsinore and Wildomar and is currently represented by Supervisor Kevin Jeffries.

There are several ways to participate in the county redistricting process. To see a list of upcoming redistricting presentations, click here. To participate in a community hearing, visit the Advisory Redistricting Commission meetings here.

Community members can submit feedback online, including suggested district lines, to help inform Riverside County in creating the new districts. Visit the online feedback tool here. See a listing of all community responses received here.

Residents can also email RivCoRedistricting@rivco.org

The county's population has increased by about 300,000 people to just over 2.4 million residents, according to the latest census numbers. The racial makeup is changing, according to the data. The number of county residents who identified as white alone decreased in the latest census, with 41.2 percent of residents identifying as white alone, compared to 61 percent 10 years ago.

Lake Elsinore, Wildomar Representation At State, Federal Levels

At the state level, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar are currently represented by California State Sen. Melissa Melendez (R) in the 28th District, and California State Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto (R) in the 67th District.

At the federal level, Temecula is represented by U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R) in the 42nd District.

If you are interested in weighing in on state and federal legislative districts, an Aug. 19 public meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The meeting will be livestreamed, and there is a public comments process. Attend via livestream at https://WeDrawTheLinesCA.org/meetings. Detailed instructions for making public comment during the meeting will be posted at https://WeDrawTheLinesCA.org and announced during the meeting.

Alternatively, written comments can be submitted at https://WeDrawTheLinesCA.org or emailed directly to votersfirstact@crc.ca.gov no later than three days prior to the meeting.

Related:

5 Takeaways From The Release Of 2020 Census Data: AP Explainer

U.S. Is Diversifying, White Population Shrinking: Census Data

Census Data Sets Up Redistricting Fight Over Growing Suburbs