Meeting Summary
Before the meeting agenda began, our Boardmembers and attendees settled into the quaint Burgundy Room at Taix Restaurant in Los Angeles.
After the opening mixer, we began the event with a presentation by Andre Parvenu, who is with the City of Los Angeles Planning Department and is also a Commissioner for the California State Citizen’s Redistricting Commission. Mr. Parvenu provided an overview of the Commission makeup, its functions, and the complexities involved in the balancing of districts.
Every 10 years, after the federal census, California and every state in the country must redraw the boundaries of its legislative and other political districts to reflect the new population data. When voters passed Proposition 11 (the Voters FIRST Act) in the November 2008 general election, responsibility for redrawing the legislative and Board of Equalization district lines transferred to the people in the form of a new Citizens Redistricting Commission. In November 2010, voters passed Proposition 20 (the Voters FIRST Act for Congress), adding to the responsibilities of the Citizens Redistricting Commission the task of adjusting the boundary lines for the Congressional Districts as well. California’s first Citizens Redistricting Commission is a new 14-member Commission charged with redrawing California’s Senate, Assembly, State Board of Equalization, and now Congressional Districts based on information gathered during the 2010 census. The Commission must draw the State Senate, Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts.
The Commission’s web site can be accessed via this link.
The next item on the agenda was a presentation from David M. Snow, AICP and Diana H. Varat of the firm Richards | Watson | Gershon. This Legislative Update covered many state laws, initiatives, and court case developments critical to planning programs and projects. Some of the items that garnered the most discussion included the following:
- Guggenheim vs. City of Goleta – Rent control ordinances
- Sunnyvale West Neighborhood Association vs. City of Sunnyvale – Projected traffic conditions and baselines for environmental documents
- AB2406 (Blakeslee) – Formation of JPAs
The Legislative Update covered five items regarding housing, 13 items regarding zoning powers and state building codes, a Subdivision Map Act item, and four items regarding redevelopment. A summary of the update is provided within this PDF file.