Council Votes Monday on Adding Redistricting Task Force Members to Better Reflect Diversity

Three additional people could be added to the Redistricting Task Force, according to Monday’s City Council agenda.

Patrice Marshall McKenzie, Delano Yarbrough and Adriana Lim could be added to the task force which will use census data to recommend changes to City Council district boundaries.

Mayor Victor Gordo said last week he would ask for additional recommendations from the City Council to improve racial diversity on the task force.

So far, the task force has no African-American members, which caused concerns among local residents.

Marshall Mckenzie and Yarbrough would fill that void.

Marshall McKenzie recently applied to the city’s new Community Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) and Yarbrough is a past president of the Pasadena NAACP. Lim serves on the city’s Human Relations Commission.

“This will ensure all voices are at the table on a matter as important as the redrawing of Council District lines,” Gordo wrote. “It will also allow us to move swiftly in order that the Redistricting Task Force may begin its important work immediately.”

If nominated to the task force, they will join Vince Farhat, Rita Moreno, former Mayor Terry Tornek and former Councilmember Margaret McAustin, David Coher, Donald C. Nanney, Jordan Vannini, Geoff Baum, and Francis Chen.

The appointments were made as the city prepares to seat members of the CPOC, which is one of the most racially diverse commissions in the city.

The task force is scheduled to meet and begin its work on May 5.

Last week Marshall McKenzie said a lack of representation on the task force could leave communities of interest at risk of being left “extremely vulnerable.”

Every 10 years the City Council is mandated to use population data from the census to determine if any adjustments need to be made to council district boundaries.

The redistricting plan must be submitted by Dec. 15. The council must hold at least four public hearings before approving the map.

It was not yet known how much the lines would be redrawn.

Gordo called on interested residents to attend upcoming public meetings to make their voices heard.