November 1, 2021

Via e-mail and hand delivery

Fresno County Board of Supervisors

Fresno County Hall of Records

2281 Tulare Street, Room 301

Fresno, CA 93721

clerk/[email protected]

RE: Supervisorial Redistricting Process

For decades, city and county redistricting processes in California were completed with minimal public participation and little transparency, resulting in map re-drawings that only tinkered around the edges to balance population, enabled incumbents to easily run for reelection, and created no opportunities for new representation for emerging communities. 

The Fair And Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities And Political Subdivisions (FAIR MAPS) Act was passed to change this history. It places honoring communities of interest at the heart of the redistricting process. 

In California Elections Code Section 21500, the FAIR MAPS Act acknowledges the necessity of complying with the constitutional requirement of population equality and the mandates of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. It then lists line-drawing criteria that the Board of Supervisors must meet, in ranked order. Those criteria are: 

1. To the extent practicable, supervisorial districts shall be geographically contiguous. Areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous. Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge, tunnel, or regular ferry service are not contiguous.
2. To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division. A “community of interest” is a population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single supervisorial district for purposes of its effective and fair representation. Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
3. To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of a city or census designated place shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division.
4. Supervisorial district boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents. To the extent practicable, supervisorial districts shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the county.
5. To the extent practicable, and where it does not conflict with the preceding criteria in this subdivision, supervisorial districts shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations.

Cal. Elec. Code § 21500(c). 

The undersigned groups are all of the firm belief the maps approved by the County’s advisory redistricting commission violate the second of state law’s criteria as they do not keep local neighborhoods and communities of interest (COI) whole. The commission received dozens of public submissions, in oral and written formats, articulating where Fresno County’s COI live. It willfully chose to ignore that public testimony and proposes to split our communities, in violation of state law. 

We provide more information on Fresno County’s COIs and how they are split by the proposed maps in the pages below. In order to provide contrast to maps: 101b, 120 and 121. Below we also include Inclusive Families Map 1 (Public 117) and Inclusive Families Map 2 (Public 118) in which we demonstrate Communities of Interest can in fact be kept whole and a Fresno County Board of Supervisors map that complies with the Fair Maps Act can in fact be drawn. 

The County Board of Supervisors puts the County’s map in legal jeopardy, creates legal exposure for the County, and undermines faith in our local democracy if it decides to move forward with one of the advisory commission’s maps that split communities of interest and violate state law.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Fresno County Inclusive Families Coalition 

Kaya Herron 

Deputy Director, Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce

Naindeep Singh

Executive Director, Jakara Movement 

Pablo Rodriguez

Executive Director, Communities for a New California Education Fund

Tammy Vang

Fresno Field Organizer, Hmong Innovating Politics

Dillon Savory

Chair, Central Valley Partnership

Sukaina Hussain

Deputy Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley/Central California

Draft Map 101b: 

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=12f2138954df4562862c87d6ce460564

The prioritization of Draft Map 101b puts the County of Fresno in legal jeopardy, creates legal exposure for the County, and undermines faith in our local democracy if it decides to move forward with it as it splits communities of interest and violates state law. Examples of the division of Communities of Interest is given below.

Community of Interest Breakdown: 

Highway City 

• Old Figarden, Fort Washington, North Clovis and North Fresno neighborhoods have been identified as COIs with excess similarities. Separating them among districts only dilutes the power of working class neighborhoods surrounding those parts of the more weather Fresno/Clovis area which is what map 101b would do. The neighborhoods that are at risk of having diluted their power are: Highway City, Pineadale, Herndon, Tarpey, Hoover/Fresno State, South of Shaw neighborhoods in Fresno, and the apartments on Valentine in Figarden. 

Tarpey

• Residents of Tarpey Village desire to be put in a district where the people and the issues are similar. Map 101b dilutes their power by placing them in a large district where their needs would be overshadowed by the wealthy in Clovis and by those in the foothills and mountains. The Inclusive Families Maps both provide an alternative where this part of Clovis is merged with communities in Fresno of common interest. 

• The Hmong COI along HWY 99 should also be kept in one district. Communities living by the HWY 99 have shared experiences associated with HWY 99. 
• The Hmong COI in Sunnyside located E Olive to the north, Fowler Ave to the east, E Jensen to the south, S Chestnut to the west is being split into three districts. The Hmong COI located at Sunnyside must be kept whole. We have a high concentration of Hmong and Southeast Asian residents in the Sunnyside area. As it stands, the proposed maps do not keep the defined Hmong COI together who have shared interest, experiences, and ethnic make up. We urge that this COI be kept in one district. 

COI_Muslim 2021-10-08

• The Muslim COI in northwest Fresno around Masjid Badr (which is a mosque located on Herndon and Milburn Ave), is bound by Bullard Ave to the south, Marks Ave to the east, Highway 99 on the West and continues north of Herndon Ave. This region has a significant concentration of Muslim and Arabic-speaking immigrants and should remain whole. As visualized, this Muslim COI in northwest Fresno is divided since the assembly district lines split up the COI that extends to Highway 99. We would like to see this COI stay whole within the district.
• The second Muslim COI in central Fresno near Fresno State is centered around Masjid Fresno, the largest mosque in Fresno, located on Shaw Ave. The COI is bound by N 1st St. to the west, E Bullard to the north, and E Ashlan Ave to the south, and N Chestnut Ave to the east. This area is includes Muslims who are South Asian, Palestinian, and Syrian first or second-generation immigrants. In addition, in 2016 there was a heavy influx of Syrian immigrants that reside South of Bullard near Masjid Fresno. This map has split the COI across lines and it would be helpful to keep it whole. 

COI_African_American

• The Black West Fresno COI that begins inside of the city of Fresno just East of Highway 99 and extends west outside the city limits into Western Fresno County desires to be kept in a district representing the city of Fresno. This map does not keep the defined COI whole or in its preferred district. Black residents in this part of the county do not identify with far western priorities and communities like Kerman, Firebaugh and Huron which are primarily Latino, rural and agricultural communities.
• Highway 99 is continuing to be used as a dividing line between Black communities and White communities in Fresno County and City. 

Draft Map 120: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=b95b357569de4afe9dcffee783f9a663

The prioritization of Draft Map 120 puts the County of Fresno in legal jeopardy, creates legal exposure for the County, and undermines faith in our local democracy if it decides to move forward with it as it splits communities of interest and violates state law. Examples of the division of Communities of Interest is given below. 

Communities of Interest Breakdown

Highway City 

• Old Figarden, Fort Washington, North Clovis and North Fresno neighborhoods have been identified as COIs with excess similarities. Separating them among districts only dilutes the power of working class neighborhoods surrounding those parts of the more weather Fresno/Clovis area which is what map 120 would do. The neighborhoods that are at risk of having diluted their power are: Highway City, Pineadale, Herndon, Tarpey, Hoover/Fresno State, South of Shaw neighborhoods in Fresno, and the apartments on Valentine in Figarden. 

Tarpey

• Residents of Tarpey Village desire to be put in a district where the people and the issues are similar. Map 120 dilutes their power by placing them in a large district where their needs would be overshadowed by the wealthy in Clovis and by those in the foothills and mountains. The Inclusive Families Maps both provide an alternative where this part of Clovis is merged with communities in Fresno of common interest. 

Hmong

• Similar to map 101b, the Hmong COI in Sunnyside located E Olive to the north, Fowler Ave to the east, E Jensen to the south, S Chestnut to the west is being split into three districts. The Hmong COI located at Sunnyside must be kept whole. We have a high concentration of Hmong and Southeast Asian residents in the Sunnyside area. As it stands, the proposed maps do not keep the defined Hmong COI together who have shared interest, experiences, and ethnic make up. We urge that this COI be kept in one district. 

Muslim

• Fresno, located on Shaw Ave. The COI is bound by N 1st St. to the west, E Bullard to the north, and E Ashlan Ave to the south, and N Chestnut Ave to the east. This area is includes Muslims who are South Asian, Palestinian, and Syrian first or second-generation immigrants. In addition, in 2016 there was a heavy influx of Syrian immigrants that reside South of Bullard near Masjid Fresno. This map has split the COI across lines and it would be helpful to keep it whole. 
• The second Muslim COI in central Fresno near Fresno State is centered around Masjid Fresno, the largest mosque in Fresno, located on Shaw Ave. The COI is bound by N 1st St. to the west, E Bullard to the north, and E Ashlan Ave to the south, and N Chestnut Ave to the east. This area is includes Muslims who are South Asian, Palestinian, and Syrian first or second-generation immigrants. In addition, in 2016 there was a heavy influx of Syrian immigrants that reside South of Bullard near Masjid Fresno. This map has split the COI across lines and it would be helpful to keep it whole.

Inclusive Families Map 1 (Public 117): https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/home/showpublisheddocument/60616/637698865606070000

How does the Inclusive Families Map 1 (Public 11) respect Communities of Interest?

• Inclusive Family Map 1 will keep all the different Hmong COI in Fresno as whole. The Fresno Hmong community is one of the largest Hmong communities in the US and people come from all over the country to participate in it’s annual Fresno Hmong New Year. The Hmong community used to be concentrated into one area in Central Southeastern Fresno, but throughout the years, it has expanded and the community now live in clusters throughout Fresno, with particular landmark concentrations provided below:

• 99 & Shaw Ave area: W Shaw Ave to the north, N Marks Ave to the east, W Shields Ave to the south, N Grantland Ave to the west
• FIRM area: E Clinton Ave to the north, N 1st St. to the east, E McKinley Ave to the south, N Fresno St. to the west
• Melody Park: Ashlan Ave to the north, N Armstrong to the east, E Shields to the south, Clovis Ave to the west
• Stone Soup area: Near El Dorado Park; E Barstow Ave to the north, N 6th St. to the east, E San Jose Ave to the south, N 1st St. to the west
• Sunnyside: E Kings Canyon Rd. to the north, Fowler Ave to the east, E Jensen to the south, S Chestnut to the west
• The Fresno Center Area: E Olive Ave to the north, N Temperance Ave down to E Kings Canyon Rd. and S Fowler Ave to the east, E Jensen Ave to the south, and Maple Ave to the west.
• Westside: S West Ave to the west, E Jensen Ave to the south, SR-41 to the east, and W California Ave to the north
• Vang Pao Elementary School area: E Kings Canyon Rd to the north, S Maple Ave to the east, E California Ave to the south, S Orange Ave to the west

• This map keeps the Muslim COI around Masjid Fresno with other communities of color in the same district (4). The Muslim COI in northwest Fresno is mostly kept whole in District 2 but some parts are also allocated to District 1. We prefer Public 118 due to this reason. 

Inclusive Families Map 2 (Public 118):

https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/home/showpublisheddocument/60618/637698865614470000

How does it respect Communities of Interest?

• Similar to Inclusive Families Map 1, for the Hmong COI Inclusive Families Map 2 respects the COI at it’s best interest. The Hmong COI in Fresno are made up of first-generation immigrants who fled war in the early 1980s and 1990s, resettled in low-income and affordable housing areas of Fresno. Due to lack of access to financial capital and literacy, the community are more like renters than homeowners in the area. As community members obtained more financial capital, most have moved to the suburban areas such as Clovis, Sanger, and Central side. Main emphasis is Public 118 keeps the Hmong COI in the Sunnyside area as whole. 
• Map 118 more accurately reflects the diversity and dispersion of our communities. There are approximately 5-8.5% Black/African Americans in each district, 9-12% Asian/AAPI, 40-60% Hispanic/Latino, and 30% White, except for District 2, which encompasses Clovis and the Foothill communities at 65% White. This distribution allows more community voices to be heard in the election of representatives from and for our diverse communities. 
• Map 118 brings rural towns together into District 1 that include diverse Asian, Black, and Latino communities of interest and are in closer proximity to Highway 99. These district boundaries restore wholeness to the historic Sunnyside community of interest which is currently split into three districts. Sunnyside High School is the largest high school in Fresno Unified and the most diverse in terms of its robust Hispanic/Latinx, Hmong, and Punjabi communities. This area has become a vibrant and growing area for Hmong and Punjabi families and encompasses their farming and transportation businesses, in close proximity to their cultural centers. 
• Map 118 keeps Black/African American COI’s whole in West Fresno and Central Fresno along the 99 which are different from Kerman, Mendota, Firebaugh, Coalinga, Huron, and Caruthers. This COI is primarily low-middle income, diverse Hmong, Sikh, MENA, and Latino multigenerational households that is not reflected in the current district.
• For the Muslim community COI around Masjid Fresno, this map keeps the community together and in the same district (3) as other immigrants with similar interests in the region. It also captures most of the the Muslim COI in northwest Fresno around Masjid Badr within the same district (3). Over the past decade, there has been an increase in Muslim residents moving into thiese areas, in particular the immigrant community which largely consists first-generation families from Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern countries. Not only do these families have a shared language, they also have shared religious values and cultural similarities.

Benefits to business and investment in families:

• Keeps Sanger Unified, West Park Unified and Washington Unified School Districts whole.
• This COI is the only area of the county that is not served by a community plan
• Keeps the “Golden State Industrial Corridor” connecting Fowler, Selma, and Kingsburg along State Highway 99 whole.
• Keeps West Fresno as recognized by Fresno County in the 2021 General Plan update on page 83 and the Environmental Impact Report presentation, slide 10, as the community of “Edison.”
• For the business community with shared economic development interests map 118 creates opportunities for expansion in Southwestern Fresno County. Specifically for investments in non-agricultural industries such as water, healthcare, and information processing as outlined in the 2015 County Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
• These investments should leverage the area surrounding the Fresno-Clovis Regional Water Reclamation Facility for mixed-use development including housing, office space and innovation centers. Additional resources include the new State Center Community College District campus which will serve our emerging workforce.