Proposed Fresno County Redistricting Maps Violate State Law 

Fresno Inclusive Families Coalition Maintains Vigilant Watch on Fresno County Redistricting Process

Fresno, CA — Fresno County’s three selected draft maps divide families and split Communities of Interest (COI), violating California’s state law just weeks away from the conclusion of the redistricting process.

The Fair And Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities And Political Subdivisions (FAIR MAPS) Act places Communities of Interest at the heart of the redistricting process, as Communities of Interest have historically and systemically been silenced and divided through this process. 

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

The Inclusive Families Coalition submitted its objections to the proposed Fresno County Redistricting maps in public comment for the November 2 Redistricting Hearing, which was sent to the Board of Supervisors prior to the hearing. 

In order to provide contrast to maps: 101b, 120 and 121, we also include Inclusive Families Map 1 (Public 117) and Inclusive Families Map 2 (Public 118), in which we demonstrate Communities of Interest can be kept whole and a Fresno County Board of Supervisors map that complies with the Fair Maps Act can, in fact, be drawn. Read the full letter here.

If it decides to move forward with one of the advisory commission’s maps that split communities of interest in violation of state law, the County Board of Supervisors’ actions put the County’s map in legal jeopardy, create legal exposure for the County, and undermine faith in our local democracy.