Dear Mayor Combs, Vice Mayor Nash, Councilmembers Mueller, Taylor and Wolosin, and Staff,
New Year’s greetings. Hoping this year will be easier to navigate. All things considered the Council and Staff must be commended for successfully guiding the City through the past 10 months.
Although there is legislation to extend the release date of the 2020 Census, the official website states release will be as close to April 1, 2020, as possible. Regardless of the release date, it is time for the Council to begin the process of determining the type of redistricting commission for Menlo Park.
The redistricting commission should be determined by the residents in the same manner the advisory districting commission (ADC) was established in December 2017. Additionally, funding will be needed. Therefore, it should be on the 2021-2022 work plan to provide funding and move through the redistricting process in a timely manner.
The first step should be several well-advertised public meetings to allow residents to determine whether an advisory, hybrid or independent redistricting commission should be established. The public outreach, resolution requirement and time commitment are virtually the same for each type of redistricting commission.
It is well-known that I am a strong advocate of an independent redistricting commission. I would like to reiterate that regardless of the type of redistricting commission the legal requirements are essentially the same.
Planning for redistricting now will allow for a smooth process that is accessible, fair, transparent, and inclusive.
Stay well,
Pamela D Jones
The impossible dissipates when I becomes WE.
