2023-05-23_Item No. 33_Elizabeth Berger

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Subject: FW: [External] Comment on redistricting Date: 5-23-23 Item No.: 33 From: Liz Berger <eliz.bergerl@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 4:37 PM To: Reshape Riverside<Reshape Riverside@riversideca.gov>; CityClerkMbx <City Clerk@riversideca.gov> Subject: [External] Comment on redistricting My name is Liz Berger, and I've been a professor at UC Riverside since 2019. 1 am in support of "Map A4 Modification " because it best represents our community, including students, employees, and local residents. UCR is in the University neighborhood. A common issues in the neighborhood is health equity, and accessibility of reproductive health resources on campus. Students also form a unique community of diverse individuals that share roads, entertainment, shopping, and eateries, as many of these students live on campus or in the surrounding area. Students have classes at the University Center, they visit eateries along University Ave, they grocery shop along W Blaine St, and they live on Iowa Ave, as well as beyond Watkins Dr. The current district map splits the university into two different districts, as well as the surrounding areas where students live, work, and have recreation. We ask that you keep the UCR community of interest together in one district. This will ensure that this community of students are given the opportunity to choose representatives who will continue to invest in them, their education, and their health. Keeping the lines as they are can cause confusion for students when voting for a representative, but also when contacting their representative with questions and/or concerns on Riverside City specific issues. We ask that this community of interest in the city of Riverside is kept intact in order to ensure the campus, the students and surrounding community are given the attention, resources, and representation they deserve. Furthermore, "Map A4 Modification" is the only map that has all of the North Side Specific Plan in one ward and has a ward (Downtown/Eastside/Northside) with an African American Communities of Interest and while keeping 16 neighborhood communities together and protecting the integrity of the city. Draft Map A4 A maximizes the Voting Rights Act and better aligns with Riverside residents` community of interest testimony. Map A4 A has four Latino Citizen Voting Age Population majority wards. Map A4 A includes Casablanca in a High Latino CVAP Ward which adds more of Magnolia Center. The new maps Draft Map A 2. 2 has a high concentrated Latino CVAP area in Ward 1 lowered below 50% LCVAP, and the sequencing of the majority LCVAP wards (2, 3, 4, and 7) putting only 2 effective Latino majority wards on presidential year cycles, compared to maps A4 A which make 3/4 majority LCVAP wards on the presidential cycle. Thank you for your time and attention, cc Mayor Elizabeth Berger City Council City Manager City Attorney ACMs City Clerk 1