Diversity is key in Chula Vista Districting Commission

<figure id="attachment_28061" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28061" style="width: 353px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/featured/diversity-is-key-in-chula-vista-d…; rel="attachment wp-att-28061"><img loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-28061" src="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/commission-1-30…; alt="Chula Vista Districting Commission listening to community input in the selection process of the three remaining commission members." width="353" height="201"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28061" class="wp-caption-text">Chula Vista Districting Commission listening to community input in the selection process of the three remaining commission members.</figcaption></figure>
The newly formed Chula Vista Districting Commission is now completed, and it is very diverse.
The commission will be in charge of recommending four City Council districts to be used in future elections in Chula Vista, which currently is not divided by districts and holds citywide elections.
At a meeting on Wednesday, August 6th, the last three of the seven commissioners were chosen in a transparent vote taken by the four first commissioners. These four commissioners were randomly selected in late July from a pool of 10 candidates, which in turn were chosen from more than 20 applicants.
The four commissioners selected in July are Rita Buencamino/Andrews, a retired analyst from San Diego’s city clerk’s office; Dr. John Korey, a retired professor of Political Science from Cal Poly Pomona; Dr. Rey Monzon, an administrator at San Diego State University; and William Richter, an administrative associate at Sempra U.S. Gas & Power.
During the public meeting, the four commissioners selected three candidates to fill the three remaining seats: communications professional and former Chula Vista city councilmember Patty Chavez, analyst Cheryl Goddard, and Jerome Torres.
Before the vote, community members expressed something very similar: Most of them emphasize that diversity was a key factor to consider when selecting the remaining three commissioners.
And most speakers said that commissioners needed to view diversity as all-encompassing: diversity in ethnicity, in gender, in professional background, and, mainly, in geographic location, referring to the fact that only one of the six candidates, Jerome Torres, lives west of Interstate 805.
“The commission should reflect our community,” said Chula Vista resident Jose Arredondo.
Carmen Lopez, also a Chula Vista resident, said that low-income families needed to be well-represented in the commission. “I hope you consider a non-business person,” she said. “I hope you look at your demographics.”
At the end, the three commissioners selected became part of a diverse commission: three of them are women, three are Latinos, three are Filipino, and one of them is White.
Where the commission is lacking is in the residency of its members. Torres, who didn’t attend the public meeting, is the only one of the seven who lives in westside Chula Vista, an area that has been neglected for a long time in favor of the more affluent eastside.
Richter encouraged all the candidates that were not selected to continue to attend commission meetings to provide their input. He also invited the public to remain active during the districting process. “The community is the one who is going to draw those maps,” he said. “I encourage community participation.”
Chavez said that she’s “excited to work with the community to strengthen our city.”
Ratification of the additional three Districting Commission members by the Chula Vista City Council is tentatively scheduled for the August 12 city council meeting.“The members will have approximately one year to complete the task of dividing Chula Vista into four electoral districts.