ARB live blogging - Some pictures of the scene

[This is really rough, but it's current.  They're on break.  I'll try to add photos.]


Randy Ruedrich, AFFER  Anchorage for Fair and Equitable Redistricting

BEen inivolved since the beginning.
Change only dealing with state constitution, minimize deviations to the extent that our largest neg. is -.74 in  district in Western Alaska.  Our largest postiive deviation is .7 in Kenai?  overall 1.44 which I think we can reduce further.
Using state constitutional criteria some limits.

Basic architecture of a map under constitution.
When you recognize borough and city boundaries as significant

16 MOA
5+ Fairbanks
5 for Matsu
3+ for Kenai
<2 for Junea
Sitka, Kodia, under 1
Boroughs of the chain another opportunity for an identified districts

Those boroughs quickly sum up 36 sitings for our 40 seats

Bethel and Nome - 2 more

Leaves two unidentified districts.  That's, based on previous maps leaves Richardson Highway and River area.  So don't really start with blank slate.  Start with 36 districts and the rest fills in.

Anchorage under ideal numbers is entitled to 16.4 house seats.  If 16 only, the deviation would be 2.5% over 16 districts.  Unconstitutional.  Surplus can be dealt with in several ways.
Kenai to south, not cmpact or socio-economically integrated when compared to linking to southern Matsu.  Pairing Anchorage surplus we wind up with a compact and socio-economic district that meets constitution and mimics 1994, 2002, and 20012 maps.

During those three mapping cycles, the surplus from Matsu has been paired with Richardson Highway.  To Valdez linked to Matsu - traditionally done.

What we have actually done in various parts of the state.

Looking at map, a lot of things that look familiar -
Anchorage first:

Torg:  For the record, you're looking at AFFER revised plan, not the original.
Ruedrich:  Anchorage map product of mayor's office, Assembly work group, Clerk.
From Girdwood to north of Muldoon, no change.  We made some minor changes to bring things into balance.  Dog bite.  District 24 - center - we removed a very small commercial ara and put it into 22.  And then Seward and Tudor brings district 23 within .5% and the district to the North also.  22 removed small population along the railroad along Tudor and put it ito 16, adding population in SE and removing in NE leaving it in .5% bound.

Next change even more subtle.  Instead of using Fish Creek in Spenard, we used Barbara Street, that leaves .5%  Took a few people south of Chester on the 16/18 border and put them into district 18.  We have 16 in the 1/2% bound.  Those changes creates a map that meets the ??   That's how close we are that starts with the map first done in the mayor's office. 

Changes in ER, we made major changes, slightly over 1% each.  That created a slightly larger district 11 component in Matsu bridge district.

Kenai - made some changes - by bringing ??? we removed significant out of 28, some into 30 and some into 29, hanged from 2.5% over population, by adding Tyonek/Beluga, that allows us to free 11% of the district from Kenai and allows us to put that into Kodiak district that already had Southern Kenai villages.  Bring 35 to ideal population.  Got free space to get Yakutat going to the North.

Larry can speak about Matsu  - Larry DeBilbiss, Mayor of Matsu Borough.

Thank you for your patience in this domino game we call redistricting. I did review the AFFER Revised map and satisfied with the way we are situated.  I called Assembly members twice and twice I got no response from any Assembly members.  That tells me the Assembly does not want major changes from the map you did before and very satisfied witht he representation that came out of that map.  We don't want to see any changes.  Some changes around Palmer area that won't have impact.

I was in a lawsuit over this in the past - they tried to whack out two legislators - me and Ogan.  Glad someone else is doing the hard work.
Torg:  Questions?
White:  Clarification.  Mr. Mayor welcome, thanks for your testimony.  Clear - colors are the current map and boundaries are new lines?
Larry:  I don't know about the colors
Ruederich.  This map does reflect the latest work the people of Matsu did yesterday.
Whtie:  Does orange represent the current?
Ruedrich:  No idea.
Larry:  I think you're right.  Glad you caught those.
White:  Understood your testimony right.  Yourself and assembly didn't raise any objections and dividing the borough twice is ok with you?
Larry:  Yes.
Ruedrich:  Let me continue.  SE map is very simple.  D 33, added metlakatla.  Left for historic reasons, ?? Cove, for added population.  But Ketchikan would work ok.  Thorn Bay which has been paired with ??? so Ketchikan's proposal might be better.

We left 31 Juneau as it is.  Since Skagway was already in 32 we added Haines, since no Native districts to consider at this time, added Pelican to make a hook, to balance population only.
Torg:  When you refer to they, you mean K Borough?
Ruedrich:  Yes, the proposal we heard today from K.
In Kenai where we had excess population.  Also in FBNS borough.  Reduced D1 essentially a smaller fareast district.  D4 totally inside City of FB leaves a little to incorporate the rest of FB and then ??? to get second house seat.  Excess from D3 north of that added to 2 moves it further to east.  D5 south and ruther east.  2000+ more surplus relative to previous plan we drew and similar to plan that was drawn by the board.  That gives us 10,000 to be integrated into 38 that starts in Yakutat and around north through upper Tanana and Upper Yukon and back into Denali Borough.  Much more compact than 39 was in prior map.  Added more inupiat to keep consistent 40 to historic 39.  Kuskokwim and upper Yukon and KKKK?  and 36 is balance of chain and Yupik peoples of the SW Alaksa thru Nondalton and Lime Village which are actually Athabascan, but found this to do the least harm we can anticipate.
Map has deviation of 1.4%, we can probably work on it a little bit.  Can create a map that's a little better for you in the next few days.
Torg:  Thanks.  Questions?  Dividing FB once or twice?
Ruederich:  It's open in the west - to 38.
Torg:  That's where you were talking about 10,000.
Ruedrich:  We have about 7000 in prior plan.  By shrinking all the districts in FBNS borough by about 3% that frees about 2000 people.  Everything compressed to the east.  Freed individuals are on the Western frontier.  Ester precinct had been split, part in 38 and historic in 5.  This map puts all in 38 together.  Also allows small portions of University hills district are no in 38 and finally, took part of Farm Loop precinct into 38.  Those Western elements taken and addd because they were surplus.
Torg:  Other questions?
White: Help us understand socio-economic integration thinking - 38?
Torg:  When you build a map and work as hard as you can to get districts that work, you have elements of population that doesn't necessarily fit.  has pipeline as theme, but other things vastly different.  Mostly rural Alaska native folks.  Just don't have enough of them to form rural distric.  Have some urban population surplus.  End up with this piece that you have t put together.  I see this as the least troubling.  Have much in common with FB, which is center of their trade world.  Don't see why they can't be?
White?  37?
Torg:  That troubled me greatly.  If we try to keep Chain together and Yupik north with it, we have 39 as blend for years.  Need to add folks to get to antoher 10% as we go to full 1 person 1 vote representation.  Native villages going up the Yukon, Koyukuk villages together, Upper Kusko together, middle Yukon villages, and significant Yupik villages in south.  Entire Kuskokwim in this distric with some more changes.  Not enough districts to put all these people in separate boxes. 
White:  Courts been clearn not if adding urban, but where.
District connects over water?
Ruedrich: PWS, also takes Cordova who voted to be combined with Kodiak.  Fits because all fishing population. 
White:  Thank You.