Orange County Supervisors Approve New District Maps

SANTA ANA, CA — The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday narrowly approved a resolution backing the county's Board of Education in an election struggle with a state-authorized committee.

The dispute boils down to redistricting maps that would affect next year's election of three of the five board members.

The Orange County Board of Education has adopted its own redistricting map based on the most recent census figures, but so has the Orange County Committee on School District Organization, which is authorized by the state.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution by a 3-2 vote backing the Board of Education's authority to adopt its own redistricting maps over the committee.

However, that is not likely to make a difference in the June primary as Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley has been advised by his attorneys to accept the committee's map.

The Board of Education Tuesday afternoon — after the supervisors approved their resolution — had an emergency meeting to adopt its own resolution again accepting its own map and then officials delivered it to Kelley to beat a deadline for submitting new redistricting maps by Wednesday.

The Board of Education's next step would appear to be seeking relief from Orange County Superior Court Judge David Hoffer, but Hoffer on Monday issued a ruling rejecting the Board of Education's temporary restraining order request against the committee's map.

Hoffer sided with the committing, saying it had the legal authority to adopt a map over the Board of Education's.

The Board of Education's lawsuit is still pending with the next hearing scheduled for May 23.

The Board of Supervisors resolution was introduced by Vice Chairman Don Wagner and Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. Supervisor Andrew Do sided with Wagner and Bartlett over Board Chairman Doug Chaffee and Supervisor Katrina Foley.

The Board of Education has gotten into multiple legal disputes with Superintendent Al Mijares over a variety of issues. The Board of Education has also wrangled in court with the governor's office over mask mandates in the district's schools during the pandemic.

The map that the committee adopted was submitted by Billie Joe Wright, president of the Hacienda La Puente Teachers Association.

Wagner said before this issue cropped up he had never heard of the committee.

"Nobody knows what it is," Wagner said.

Wagner said the committee's map "redrew the maps completely... and did so in a way that was troubling."

Wagner also argued that the committee "didn't hold robust public hearings like we did, or like the Board of Education did in drawing its own maps."

Wagner said the Board of Education should have the final say on the redistricting maps because it is an elected body, unlike the committee which consists of members appointed by the superintendent.

"I dare somebody to name a person on that committee ... unless you looked it up in the last couple of weeks," Wagner said.

The elected Board of Education members "are the ones who have to live under those boundaries... those are the ones responsive to the public," Wagner said.

"This is about local control," Bartlett said. "Just like the Board of Supervisors we got all the public input and then we created a fair and balanced map... The Orange County Board of Education should have the same opportunity to do so. They are an elected body by the voters in Orange County."

Do said he appreciated the feedback from residents during the meeting who complained about the demographic makeup of the committee's representatives.

"I share in some of your concerns as to the lack of diversity on this committee," Do said.

"But I would also caution against use the demographics of the committee itself as disparagement of their judgment. We can say the process should be more inclusive and argue for more diverse voices on the committee.

"But to say things like they're a bunch of white women — that is just offensive on the face of it. I would caution that we use civility and use logic as opposed to aspersions in our arguments."

Do argued that his legal analysis of the issue showed the committee should not become involved in redistricting maps unless requested by the board of education.

The Board of Supervisors' county counsel Leon Page said if the Board of Education wins its lawsuit it could change the district map, but only for the 2024 elections and beyond.

"I don't think we have jurisdiction or authority of law over this matter," Foley said. "I also think it's a slippery slope when we start weighing in. Are we going to weigh in on how every city and special district creates their map?... To me, this really feels like politics so I'll be voting no."

Chaffee said if the committee's map will be the one used for this year's election then why not put off a resolution until later.

"I think the argument is with the Legislature, not here," Chaffee said. "No matter what we do here that map will not change... Since it doesn't apply to anything right now it might be better to have more information and to make this a legislative priority, but I don't see us getting involved in this... I think I'd like to study it more and there is time to do that because it would apply to future elections, not the current one."

City News Service