City takes step toward redistricting

June Casagrande

A plan to redraw City Council districts could prove even more

controversial than last year’s plan not to do it.

At issue is how to balance the very lopsided council districts

without breaking up Corona del Mar.

“Thank God for computers,” Mayor Steve Bromberg said.

City staff will use technology to generate numerous scenarios for

redrawing council district boundaries.

After Newport Coast became part of the city on Jan. 1, 2002,

council members considered several scenarios for council districts.

Ultimately, they decided simply to add the 7,000 or so new residents

to the 9,500 or so already in John Heffernan’s district, making his

the largest by far in a city that tries to ensure council districts

contain roughly the same number of persons.

At the January 2002 council meeting, Heffernan and Gary Adams cast

the two dissenting votes on the matter, pointing out that the plan

would deny some Newport Coast residents the opportunity to run for

City Council for two years longer than they would have to wait if

they were made part of another district.

But the majority of the council disagreed. The pending annexation

of Santa Ana Heights, Bay Knolls and the possibility that Banning

Ranch might be developed reinforced their belief that it would be

best to postpone redistricting.

Now the time has come, and the task is looking no less

complicated. A council subcommittee on redistricting is kicking off

the process. The first big challenge is how to carve an equitably

sized district for Newport Coast residents without drawing a line

through the now-unified Corona del Mar because some the existing

district lines will shift southeast.

“Corona del Mar is a very cohesive community and they want to stay

together,” said Bromberg, who is a member of the council

redistricting subcommittee. “I’ve asked our planning director to give

me as many scenarios as they can to see if we can keep villages in

the city together as much as possible.”

The council is expected to look at the matter around mid-February.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.