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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit 9 - New District Boundaries and Communities of Interest (individual commissioner statements)EXHIBIT 9 NEW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AND COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST (individual commissioner statements) BRONSTEN-GLENN KOSSOW Chairperson JAMES HUSTACE Vice Chairperson 2021 HAWAI`I COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION Meizhu Lui, Commissioner, District 1 Rationale for D1 Boundaries Southern boundary changes: MEIZHU LUI DWAYNE YOSHINA LEHUANANI AH NEE JENNIFER YADAO STEPHANIE BATH AINA AKAMU STEPHEN LOPEZ * Both the D1 and D2 Commissioners would have liked to draw the boundary at Honoli'i stream and to put Wainaku and Kawili into the Hilo district (D2), but that wasn't possible due to the deviation requirements. As it is, D1 has the largest negative deviation (the fewest people) so we could not move a lot of people out of D1 into D2 without breaking the Redistricting law - or seriously dividing Waimea. * That said, we did move the boundary up from the Wailuku River to Amaulu Rd. Public testimony asked that we not use the Wailuku River as the boundary as it has been in the 2010 map, because that divides the Pi'ihonua community which has camps on both sides of the River. * Keeping the areas north of Amaulu and east of the highway from Amaulu at Wainaku Drive down to the Wailuku River was our most reasonable option for two reasons: 1) people there are already in D1, and 2) Wainaku and Kawili are already part of the Hamakua Community Development Plan (based on judicial districts) and so already share interests with D1. Northern boundary changes * Because D1 had to add population, we had to move the boundary between D1 and D9 farther into Waimea. Waimea residents did not want Waimea split, and both the D1 and D9 Commissioners tried to divide Waimea as little as possible. The old boundary was White Road; the new boundary moves D1 westward from White Road to to Pu'u Nohea Road, adding the streets on the north side of the beltway. By Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunitv Provider and Employer Lui Page 2 keeping D1's population as low as the legal limits allow, we were able to take as little of Waimea as possible. * Because urban residents in Hilo have little in common with Hamakua, and because Hamakua and Waimea share agricultural interests, the choice was to incorporate this small section of Waimea instead of moving D1 farther into Hilo. * The new map keeps DHHL and Hawaiian homelands areas together in D9, which was another of our goals. BRONSTEN-GLENN KOSSOW Chairperson JAMES HUSTACE Vice Chairperson 2021 HAWAI`I COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION Dwayne Yoshina, Commissioner, District 2 Redistricting Commission, County of Hawaii Council District 2 MEIZHU LUI DWAYNE YOSHINA LEHUANANI AH NEE JENNIFER YADAO STEPHANIE BATH AINA AKAMU STEPHEN LOPEZ A Redistricting Plan results from a combination of parts. The framework is established by the US Codes, State statutes, and County ordinances. Interpretations of these laws come from our courts. The "structure" is further defined by the citizens and the Redistricting Commission. Essentially, the County's Population must be divided into nine approximately equal parts; or failing that within specified deviations of the equal parts. This is so that the principle of "one person, one vote" is realized and respected. Given this "broad" understanding, districts were "drawn" for CD2. This meant finding agreement primarily between commission members of CD1 and CD3; creating council districts with populations which fell within the parameters noted. CD1 and CD2 Boundary The community of Piihonua was made whole, which reflects a request from that community. This was accomplished by moving the boundary between CD1 and CD2 to Amaula Road from the Wailuku River. This also helped to minimize the northward movement of CD1 boundary into CD9 (Waimea). CD2 and CD3 Boundary The boundary between CD2 and CD3 between these districts remains generally unchanged save for a move of the Univerity of Hawaii, Hilo and the University Heights subdivision from CD3 into CD2. This change was done to meet a request from the Keaukaha and Panaewa communities to be kept together. The move, created the population "space" in CD3 so that these DHHL communities could be one. CD2 and CD9 Pohakuloa Training Area Finally, it was agreed that the Pohakuloa Training Area should be included as part of CD 2 for "Command and Control" relationships with the Keaukaha Military Reservation. It was a privilege to have worked with the commission members. Special appreciation to the various county staff who assisted the commission seamlessly, professionally, and competently. We are fortunate to have had their service/assistance. Aloha and mahalo! Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunitv Provider and Employer BRONSTEN-GLENN KOSSOW Chairperson JAMES HUSTACE Vice Chairperson 2021 HAWAI`I COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION Stephanie Bath, Commissioner, District 5 District 5 rationale for mapping MEIZHU LUI DWAYNE YOSHINA LEHUANANI AH NEE JENNIFER YADAO STEPHANIE BATH AINA AKAMU STEPHEN LOPEZ District 5 has included much of lower Puna. This area issues are more aligned with district 4. The adjustment was made to put this area in dis 4 where it belongs. This allows district 5 to be focused more in upper Puna where there are common issues. Pahoa town now has 1 rep. It is not split. Public input steered towards this. Additionally the county council rep was required to travel to area of lower Puna to represent them District 5 resources were used in the area which aligns more with dis 4 Wai o kele o Puna was referred to as being owned by dis 5. In fact it's steward is office of Hawaiian affair. Moving it into dis 4 will not significantly effect district 5. It will not effect activities within Wai o kele o Puna boundaries. What it will do is cleanly include some of the splintered census blocks. Which are located within it. Highway 130 boundary remains the same 4 HPP census blocks were included in dis 4 so that HPP is split between 2 rather than 3 districts Community input and the strength of our voice and representation would be maximized for district 5 if all communities up to HVNP including volcano village were in dis 5 Unfortunately deviations disallowed the district from reclaiming the communities as hoped for. Oshiro road and aloha estates are splintered census blocks. The issues they deal with are aligned with dis 5 They have been included. Stain back highway has been used as a boundary. This roadway has potential of serving as a redundant roadway when 11 is blocked. Keaau town is now in Dis 3 due to deviation adjustments. District 5's populations are higher because the voice of the substandard subdivisions needed to remain the together to incur voice. Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunitv Provider and Employer BRONSTEN-GLENN KOSSOW Chairperson JAMES HUSTACE Vice Chairperson 2021 HAWAI`I COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION Bronsten Kossow, Chairperson and Commissioner, District 7 Aloha Mai Kakou, MEIZHU LUI DWAYNE YOSHINA LEHUANANI AH NEE JENNIFER YADAO STEPHANIE BATH AINA AKAMU STEPHEN LOPEZ The 2021 Hawaii County Redistricting Commission approved "CoH Working doc 1-6" on 21 December 2021 with a vote of 9-0. Council District 7 boundaries include: North boundaries concluded with testimony to ensure Kailua Village Business Improvement district. To accommodate the numbers between District 7 and District 8 a portion of Nani Kailua and mauka of H6lualoa were incorporated into District 7. Census block irregularities caused tremendous issues especially within Kona proper. • South Honok6hau Harbor and Kealakehe parkway to the intersection of Queen Ka`ahumanu highway. West (or makai) of Queen Ka`ahumanu highway from Kealakehe parkway intersection to Nani Kailua drive. • Nani Kailua drive to Pikake place. • Keolani road to Mamalahoa highway (Highway 180). • Mamalahoa highway to Palani junction. East boundaries are mountainous portions. • Mauka of Honua`ula, H61ualoa, and Keauhou. West Boundaries: • Boarders ocean front. South boundaries were established to provide continuity between District 6 & 7. The new district pushes northward as population deviations in District 6 were relatively low to the required deviation: • Pa`aoao point and runs through the Mamalahoa by-pass road (Ali`i by- pass road). • Mamalahoa by-pass road to an old jeep road connecting (between Tide lane and Lehuula Kai street) to Hawaii Belt road. • Hawai`i Belt road heading north to an easement before Trousseau road. • Mauka of Honalo and M5'ihi. Council District 7's deviation is-2.36%, -525 population, 21,707 population. `O au iho n6 me ke aloha pumehana, Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer BRONSTEN-GLENN KOSSOW Chairperson JAMES HUSTACE Vice Chairperson 2021 HAWAI`I COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION Stephen Kawena Lopez, Commissioner, District 8 2021 Redistricting Commission MEIZHU LUI DWAYNE YOSHINA LEHUANANI AH NEE JENNIFER YADAO STEPHANIE BATH AINA AKAMU STEPHEN LOPEZ The tinkering of the national census in the Fall of 2020 created greatly contributed to a late start. Not getting census data to begin our process until September 2021 we were way behind from the start. Thinking this was a mathematical solution and that we could still accomplish our goal for end of year — WRONG! The many constraints made aware to me in census blocks, natural dividers, neighborhoods of common interest, contiguous borders and many more impediments further compounded by specific area public concern brought a new realization. The legal and emotional constraints presented seemed, at times, insurmountable and I learned a great deal of many island places that were equally important as any other location. For me, this new awareness will serve me well in further appreciation of an island community. At 24,234 residents, District 8 was 9.01% or 2,002 residents above the target 22,232 population for the 2011 Redistricting process. Only District 5 had a greater growth in population and several Districts had negative. Those districts adjoining District 8 are District 7 at -8.5% and District 9 at .33% growth. This meant that as the island districts struggled to gain some semblance of equity District 7 had to push into current District 8 areas and District 1 (adjoining District 9) had to push into District 9 to yield population for the East Hawaii districts that were negative growth, i.e. a domino effect. As population density changes, growth brings change not always pleasing to everyone and compromise becomes paramount as I and my fellow commissioners worked very hard to accomplish. Of equal effort were those unsung hero's from Clerks office, Legislative Research Branch, Elections, Corp Counsel who contributed equally to address and solve our obstacles and arrive at a solution. One that, while not perfect, turned out to be the most equitable mathematically and addressed many emotional testimony. Mahalo nui for all those who testified on any position. It is this participation that greatly helped me and, I believe, this commission to serve the best interests of Hawaii Island. Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer BRONSTEN-GLENN KOSSOW Chairperson JAMES HUSTACE Vice Chairperson 2021 HAWAI`I COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION MEIZHU LUI DWAYNE YOSHINA LEHUANANI AH NEE JENNIFER YADAO STEPHANIE BATH AINA AKAMU STEPHEN LOPEZ James Hustace, County of Hawai'i 2021 Redistricting Commission Vice -Chair and District 9 Commissioner District 9 Boundary Changes: The 2021 Redistricting Commission received early testimony requesting contiguity for the Waikoloa Beach Resort communities. Early steps were taken to make this change happen and incorporate this community together. Unfortunately, this community was split away from its neighboring parts in the last redistricting effort. This also created a clear boundary line between District 9 and District 8 to the south. The populations and the road connectivity (or lack thereof) of the communities across the geographic regions of North and South Kohala, including, but not limited to Waikoloa Village, Puako, Kawaihae, Hawi, Kapa'au, and Waimea, prevent the possibility of keeping the residents of Waimea in one singular district. Given the population breakdown under the 2021 Redistricting guidelines, the total residents of these North and South Kohala communities would greatly exceed the parameters and deviation restrictions set forth by the County of Hawai'i Code. Knowing that Waimea needs to be split given its location and relationship to District 1 and the Hamakua communities, early draft maps proposed giving more of Waimea to District 1 for the purpose of addressing District 1's population deficit. This would have also provided residents in the eastern portion of Waimea, that had previously been in District 1, more Waimea residents of like mind and with similar needs. Testimony provided during the process requested that Waimea not be split, however, communities in the southern portion of the district cannot be easily split nor provide enough of a population count to offset the population density of east Waimea. It was therefore determined that only slight changes should be made along the District 9 and District 1 boundary. This would maintain as much consistency as possible for residents and communities. The total population of District 9 in its 2011 iteration met the criteria of the 2021 effort and would not be required to change greatly unless dictated by the shift of other districts around the County, and this would keep pace with maintaining a consistent and practiced boundary. The change at the District 9 and District 1 boundary was dependent on the census blocks along Mamalahoa Highway. Unfortunately, the census blocks in this area are irregular and tend to divide subdivisions at inconsistent points. For instance, the stream boundary used in the 2011 plan that had split the Pu'u Nani subdivisions was not an option in 2021. To assist District 1 with Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunitv Provider and Employer Hustace Page 2 its population deficit and limit the splitting of Waimea further, this boundary line shifted to the edge of the Pu'u Nani subdivision. The plan also places the upper reaches of the Kohala Watershed Forest Reserve in one singular district and maintains similar boundaries along the eastern edge in an effort to keep the Pu'ukapu Hawaiian Homelands together, which was an agreed upon priority. Additional Comments: Included in 2021 Final Report is a sample of the census blocks that posed challenges to the redistricting process. Census blocks saw little to no change from the 2011 County of Hawai'i Redistricting Plan. These static census blocks continue to cause issues with their size, irregular shapes, spans across different communities, spans across multiple subdivisions, and even instances of crossing over roadways and other physical boundaries. Until these issues are addressed, the redistricting process will be impeded by an inability to create clear boundary lines and limit the generation of new map options for consideration. With population growth centralized in specific areas across the County, current political districts will continue to be stressed and pushed towards the limits as allowed by the County of Hawai'i Code. This will require a new approach to generating these divisions, and the problems with the census blocks will need to be addressed in order to reach future goals. It is to the understanding of the 2021 Commission that these census blocks and any irregularities could be addressed in five years, at the midpoint between the decennial censuses. It will require community members to return to this topic well before the 2031 Redistricting Commission and present their findings and even request adjustments to the appropriate agency. Among the challenges relating to the census blocks, additional constraints can determine the outcome of the process. Beyond keeping communities of interest together, these additional constraints include deviation limits and maintaining a balance of representation across the County. Further, districts must follow contiguity and connectivity guidelines. All parts of one district must be accessible by road without passing through another district. These limitations were adhered to when generating a final product. Throughout the 2021 redistricting process and given the late start due to the delay in the census data, the County of Hawai'i Redistricting Commission sought out and made public transparency one of its top goals. Given the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission pushed for and were supported by County agencies to provide a venue in which the public could attend and provide testimony. The Commission was able to broadcast and record its meetings, and for the scheduled public hearings, members of the public were presented multiple options to participate. Further, the monies allocated toward the Commission were predominantly used for the purpose of advertising the opportunities for the public to comment and provide feedback on the process. It was the wish of the Commission to have the public involved in the redistricting effort and contribute towards an end goal. The 2021 Commission also encouraged future redistricting work to incorporate more training opportunities with the mapping software, as well as informational sessions that would provide the necessary tools of understanding the purpose of redistricting and the constraints and challenges that can impact the process for benefit of educating future commissioners and members of the public.