The Ventura City Council has unanimously approved the revised district map of its seven council districts. The Monday vote was a first reading of the ordinance, the final vote to formally adopt the map will be at the March 21 council meeting.
“The redistricting process is something that’s done every ten years and impacts how residents elect their city council members. The primary goal when developing election districts is to draw lines that respect neighborhoods, history, and geographical elements,” said Interim City Clerk Tracy Oehler.
Some of the biggest changes were based upon population increases in Districts 5 and 6 and decreases in Districts 4 and 7.
Mayor Sofia Rubalcava’s District 1 contains the city’s biggest Latino district at 60%. The new map will not change this district.
Spokeswoman Heather Sumagaysay said with the new district maps, some residents will realize they will vote for a council member of a different district. “When the maps are finalized, residents can go to the city’s website and type in their address to determine what district they are in”, Sumagaysay said.
There are 7 members of the Ventura City Council. Starting with the 2018 Election, four (4) Councilmembers were elected by Districts with the remaining three (3) Councilmembers elected by Districts in 2020. While elected by Districts, each member represents the interests of the City as a whole and serve for a term of four years. At the same time, the Council is reorganized and one of its members is selected to be Mayor. The Mayor serves a term of 2 years.
Council members are:
Sofia Rubalcava Mayor – District 1, Joe Schroeder Deputy Mayor – District 7,
Lorrie Brown Councilmember – District 6, Jim Friedman Councilmember – District 5,
Doug Halter Councilmember – District 2, Mike Johnson Councilmember – District 3,
Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios Councilmember – District 4
