Palm Springs residents can help shape City Council elections of the future

Lisa Middleton and Geoff Kors | Special to The Desert Sun

Palm Springs is in the process of switching from an “at large” election process to one that is “district-based.” This new system will require that we as a city create several distinct geographic districts. Each elected council member must reside within the designated district boundary and is elected only by voters within that district.

Over the next few months, the city will hold several special community forums and public hearings with residents and stakeholders to solicit input on the process of creating these news districts, with the goal of providing more opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities to have a voice in our local government.

Priority goals include:

Maximize the goals of the California Voting Rights Act, including civil rights, equality and inclusion;

Prioritize the creation of minority/majority districts;

To the extent practical, keep organized neighborhoods intact; and

Maintain the principle that the best interest of the city as a whole remains the first responsibility of all elected officials.

Our work will be in three phases:

Phase I, through the month of July, “Process and Communities of Interest”;

Phase II, September through Oct. 4, “Form of Government and Election Year”;

Phase III, Oct. 17- Dec. 19, “Defining Districts and Maps.”

On Wednesday, June 20, the city will hold the first of several public hearings and community forums on the first part of this process, which will include presentation of the demographics of our city, presented by Justin Levitt, Vice President of National Demographics Corporation along with discussion regarding “Communities of Interest.” The hearing will take place during the City Council meeting at Palm Springs City Hall starting at 6 pm.

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“Communities of Interest” refers to defined geographic areas that are comprised of residents who share similar interests including, but not limited to, social, cultural, ethnic, geographic or economic interests, or formal government or quasi-governmental relationships. These do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or candidates. In other words, the Palm Springs communities of interest are its overlapping sets of neighborhoods, networks, and groups that share interests, views, cultures, histories, languages, and values.

“Communities of Interest” may share interests in schools, housing, crime, transit, health conditions, land use and environmental conditions, common social and civic networks, shared political boundary lines from jurisdictions other than City Council, that exist because of visible natural and person-made features, street lines and/or city boundary lines.

Also, beginning Monday, July 9, the first in a series of Community Engagement Forums will be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center to solicit input from residents and business stakeholders. In addition, a forum is slated for residents in North Palm Springs at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 10, at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center followed by a forum Thursday, July 12, at 6 p.m. for residents in South Palm Springs at the Demuth Community Center. All meetings will be recorded and online at www.palmspringsca.gov and on Community Television.

Public input is essential to creating districts that fully represent the “communities of interest” in Palm Springs. We invite residents and stakeholders to join us on June 20 at City Hall as we begin this important process. Your voice is valued and necessary so that we and our Council colleagues can best determine how Palm Springs will move forward. For a full listing of meetings and forums, visit www.psdistricts.com

Councilmembers Lisa Middleton and Geoff Kors serve on the City’s Ad Hoc subcommittee on the California Voting Rights Act and can be reached via email at Lisa.Middleton@palmspringsca.gov or Geoff.Kors@palmspringsca.gov