The City of Berkeley is redefining its electoral district boundaries, which must be done every 10 years to reflect population change.
The task is a complicated one, but a number of proposals are on the table, including one from a student group to give Berkeley's large student population a more powerful political voice.
With the Sept. 30 deadline for submissions looming, Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington's office has arranged two town hall meetings to present and discuss proposals. The first is 10 a.m. Saturday at the and the second is 7:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of .
The three proposals that have been submitted so far will be presented, as well as the two student website proposals.
"People from all parts of the City are welcome to attend," said Alejandro Soto-Vigil, Worthington's legislative assistant. "We will have redistricting maps and packets available in case someone wants to prepare their own redistricting proposal. Questions and comments from the public will be welcomed."
For more information about the city's redistricting plans or instructions on how to submit a proposal, visit the City of Berkeley's redistricting website.
How has Berkeley Changed?
Census 2000 Census 2010 TOTAL POPULATION 102,743 100.0% 112,580 100.0% In households 96,921 94.3% 99,731 88.6% In group quarters 5,822 5.7% 12,849 11.4% RACE White 60,797 59.2% 66,996 59.5% Black or African American 14,007 13.6% 11,241 10.0% American Indian and Alaska Native 467 0.5% 479 0.4% Asian 16,837 16.4% 21,690 19.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 146 0.1% 186 0.2% Some other race 4,764 4.6% 4,994 4.4% Two or more races 5,725 5.6% 6,994 6.2% HISPANIC OR LATINO AND RACE Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 10,001 9.7% 12,209 10.8% Not Hispanic or Latino 92,742 90.3% 100,371 89.2% White 56,691 55.2% 61,539 54.7% Black or African American 13,707 13.3% 10,896 9.7% American Indian and Alaska Native 293 0.3% 228 0.2% Asian 16,740 16.3% 21,499 19.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 121 0.1% 170 0.2% Some other race 598 0.6% 503 0.4% Two or more races 4,592 4.5% 5,536 4.9% SEX Male 50,456 49.1% 55,031 48.9% Female 52,287 50.9% 57,549 51.1% AGE Under 5 years 4,109 4.0% 4,136 3.7% 5 to 17 years 10,404 10.1% 9,736 8.6% 18 to 64 years 77,746 75.7% 85,532 76.0% 65 years and over 10,484 10.2% 13,176 11.7% Median age 32.5 X 31.0 X HOUSEHOLDS Total households 44,955 100.0% 46,029 100.0% Family households 18,646 41.5% 18,792 40.8% Families with children under 18 7,985 17.8% 7,785 16.9% Average household size 2.16 X 2.17 X Average family size 2.84 X 2.81 X HOUSING OCCUPANCY Total housing units 46,875 100.0% 49,454 100.0% Occupied housing units 44,955 95.9% 46,029 93.1% Owner-occupied housing units 19,214 42.7% 18,846 40.9% Renter-occupied housing units 25,741 57.3% 27,183 59.1% Vacant housing units 1,920 4.1% 3,425 6.9%
