The Palisades Fire - Personal Connections And More General Thoughts

We're back in Anchorage.  As we went to the airport in the late afternoon Friday, there seemed to be a lot less smoke blowing from the Palisades fire toward the ocean.   By the time we took off, it was dark out and while we sat on the wrong side of the plane, we could still see the flames through the window on the other side as we banked to the north.  It was the first time we saw actual flames.  

I grew up in LA and my mom lived in our house for 65 years.  So I know the area fairly well.  Especially the west side where the Palisades fire is.  I've seen huge changes over time and I have some thoughts, having been in LA when the fire started.  

We discovered KCAL on the radio while we were driving - which had the most up-to-the-minute and detailed coverage of the fires.  You can watch the KCAL coverage here.  I listened again this morning from here in Anchorage.  I know the places they're talking about, but even if you don't it's pretty addicting and I don't recommend watching more than 15 minutes at a time.  

History - Marquez, Will Rogers State Park, UCLA, Santa Monica Pier

Here's a recent map from the Los Angeles County Emergency site.  These maps keep being updated.  I've done a screenshot of an area of importance to me.  The orange is mandatory evacuation areas.  The yellow is a warning area - be ready to evacuate.  I'd note I was still getting alerts on my phone as we were headed to the airport.  

My mom's house is down at the bottom, just below the Santa Monica Airport which is the border between SM and Los Angeles.  It's a long way off from the mandatory evacuation area.  It probably doesn't look that far, but the fire is mostly in mountainous areas - large lots, hillsides covered with (now) dry brush.  The land between mandatory evacuation and be ready to evacuate areas and my mom's house is much more urban.  Directly above my mom's house is the concrete and asphalt runway of the Santa Monica Airport.  

I went to school at UCLA.  As you can see, the Evacuation Warning area touches the northwest corner of the campus.

My last two years at UCLA, I was a noon duty aide and afterschool playground director at Marquez Elementary School.  It's one of two schools that burned down Thursday.  Every day, about 11:30am I took off from UCLA and rode along Sunset to Marquez Elementary School.  Sometimes I napped in the nurse's office between lunch and after school duty.  Other times I rode the last mile or so of Sunset to the beach where I played volley ball and body surfed.  

One of my favorite places in LA was Will Rogers State Park.  This was the great Cherokee cowboy/actor/humoristc's estate where he could escape Hollywood.  It had his house and other buildings including a large stable for horses and a polo field.  And the surrounding area had beautiful hiking trails.  It was pretty much the only thing around when I first went there.  I remember seeing quail there.  This picture is from a 2011 blog post.  More pictures of the area around the Will Rogers estate are in a 2021 post.  It appears to have all been destroyed.  Will Rogers died in a plane crash with Wiley Post, in 1935 outside of what was then called Port Barrow, Alaska.  

If you don't know much about Rogers, I urge you to read his Wikipedia entry.  And/or watch this Youtube talk from 1931 much of which applies today.  

In more recent years, when I come down to LA, I bike down to Venice Beach and then north along the coast up to the where Pacific Palisades meets the ocean.  In the previous post, I put up a picture from a recent ride, looking up at a couple of houses on the bluff above the ocean there.  

The Santa Monica Pier, which is just about where the SA of Santa Monica are on the map, has also been a favorite spot in the LA area.  We took the grandkids to the pier on New Year's Eve before going to see Cirque Du Soleil which was in a tent in the pier parking lot.  And the pier is still there and likely not in danger, despite earlier reports that it was, and what almost certainly was a fake photo of the pier with the sky full of flames behind it. Though the Cirque Du Soleil tents are gone.  

On Wednesday, the second day of the fire, I biked (with a good mask on) to the pier and a little beyond it.  Here's a video I took from the pier.  Downtown Santa Monica is where the  tall buildings are to the right.  

Today's map has the evacuation line right up to the ocean for a good part of it.  But at downtown Santa Monica, the air was relatively clear and was still reasonably so a couple of miles north or the pier.  I rode beyond the pier until I could see that up ahead the smoke was down on the highway and bike trail.  I didn't need to get that close to thick smoke.  But you can see, in the picture below, a runner, without a mask, heading for it.  I'd note that as a Jr. High and High School students, LA air frequently looked like that and on the worst days, we'd get a pain in our chest when we breathed deep.  

I'd also mention that Pacific Palisades was the home of "Weimar on the Pacific."  

"In the 1930s and 40s, Los Angeles became an unlikely cultural sanctuary for a distinguished group of German artists and intellectuals—including Thomas Mann, Theodore W. Adorno, Bertolt Brecht, Fritz Lang, and Arnold Schoenberg—who had fled Nazi Germany. During their years in exile, they would produce a substantial body of major works to address the crisis of modernism that resulted from the rise of National Socialism."

If you don't know these names (and I acknowledge that most people probably don't, despite their being important cultural figures), and others mentioned in the linked book announcement, I'd urge you to google them.  They're pretty remarkable people.  My mother had connections to Schoenberg family through her work, and through the owner of the dress shop who was featured in the film Woman In Gold. who hired Schoenberg's grandson to represent her in her fight against the Austrian government to recover pictures stolen from her family by the Nazis.  My mom shopped at her store and sent me clippings from the newspaper of the lawsuit while it was happening.  

Another member of the group was Leon Feuchtwanger.  When I was a high school or college student, my father took me to visit an older German woman in West Los Angeles or possibly Santa Monica.  Close to the yellow evacuation warning area today.  I could be wrong, but I believe this was Leon Feuchtwanger's widow, Marta.  

The End, But Not The End

I wanted this to be one integrated post, tying a number of different ideas together.  But while I think some of my readers could read on beyond this, I've got several more topics and there is already a lot in the links to explore.  So I'll save the others for tomorrow and maybe the next day.  

Coming:

1.  Development in the hills -  Why have people built way up in this area known for fires?

2.  Pacific Palisades and Malibu, and now Brentwood ( especially Mandeville Canyon), Encino on the valley side are some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, probably the US.  Would we be paying such close attention if this were a poorer neighborhood?  Would a poorer neighborhood be getting all the resources coming in to help like this?

3.  The idea of ownership and loss - humans are short term inhabitants on earth.  We don't 'own' the earth, or anything else really.  We are the temporary guardians until the 'properties' are lost, sold,, destroyed, stolent, or by the death of the people who believe they own them.  

4.  Phone Alerts  - I kept getting loud alerts on my phone with warnings to evacuate immediately

5.  How television news (in particular) distort reality by showing the most sensational snippets and ignoring the fact that most people are going on with their lives normally.

6. Warning to Anchorage hillside residents, and people everywhere who live in wooded hillsides. Or any area that is threatened by nature's reaction to Climate Change.  

Parts Of LA Are Burning

 It was very foggy several days ago, from what I could tell, mostly within three or four miles of the coast.  

So, this afternoon, as we were driving home from errands that got us as far east as Beverly Hills, and we saw a wall of clouds off to the west, I assumed it was a fog bank.  Though it looked a bit odd, and it seemed to be more north and to the south was still clear.  

When we got home, I walked around the block to take some pictures.  

We were listening to KJZZ, and didn't hear any news of the Palisades fire.  It was pretty windy, and I thought the off shore wind was keeping the fog to the coast.  

It was much later that we heard about the fire.  And then, as I was reading about the fire, almost midnight - an alarm went off on my phone.  

We're about six or seven miles, as the crow flies from the Palisades.  Malibu is even further.  When I bike to the beach and then north through Santa Monica and to Will Rogers State Beach (back in Los Angeles), Pacific Palisades is above the ocean.  Those areas are up in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains.  We're down in more city area.  

Here's a picture of a couple of houses up on the bluff at Pacific Palisades from my bike ride along the ocean the other day.  

But I did just go outside and while the moon is bright, the air is starting to get smoky.  

And we've had three more alarms go off on my phone.  The last one is for folks in Topanga Canyon to be ready to get out.  

And another alarm just went off but I didn't get a screen shot.  The alarms really screech.  It's 1:15am.  I really don't think we're in any danger.  When I was growing up, we would see the red glow up in the hills, but it never got out of the hills.  

But these are different times.  I probably should leave my phone on, just in case.  But I don't think I'll get much sleep if I do.  

Our tickets back to Anchorage are for Friday night.  

Here's the LA County Emergency map for right now.  We're about where the black star is.  That looks much closer than I realized.  But that orange blotch along the ocean is the evacuation area, NOT the fire area.  There is all of Santa Monica between the evacuation area and us.  As you can see there is another fire to the east.  But I'll leave my phone on.  It's 1:30 am as I post this.  

Anchorage Stuff - Garry Kaulitz Art, Highway Proposed Over Chester Creek, Film Festival Coming Soon

from Fog 24 Gallery

Garry Kaulitz was a long time University of Alaska Anchorage artist and professor.  His works are still alive and available online.  Here's the link.   Worth a look.  

A letter from the Rogers Park Community Council alerts neighbors of a Department of Transportation proposal to put a highway above Chester Creek.  There's a meeting at the Senior Center - which would, if I read the map right, be under the viaduct.  

Meeting to discuss is  

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2024 

FROM 4:30PM TO 6:30     

SENIOR CENTER

And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind folks that the Anchorage International Film Festival begins Friday, Dec 6, 2024 and runs through Dec.15.  

This image is from the page labeled 'FILMS'.  It keeps going well below this screenshot.  

There are always great films as well as some that are not so great.  But everyone has different tastes so there will be something for everyone.  Films will mostly be at the Bear Tooth and the Museum.  

There is also a change in the festival organizers this year.  I described that a little bit back in September and you can see that post here.

I'll cover more about individual films soon.  

There's a new tab up on top under the orange banner for AIFF2024.  That will be an overview of the Festival and an index of my posts about the festival.  

Seventy Nine

"79 is a prime number... 79 has 2 factors, 1 and 79. It's the 22nd prime number . . ." from Prime Number fandom

ELIE WIESEL

I have lived here for some twenty years, more than anywhere in the world, and yet I have devoted only a few pages to New York in The Accident and one chapter in The Gates of the Forest. Why? Because I have not yet exhausted my childhood. Words grow, age, die, and I am still interested in that metamorphosis. And the words that I use are still those that relate to my childhood.  Elie Wiesel, The Art of Fiction No. 79

Encyclopedia Britanica

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

"Whilst I alone did call upon thy aid,

My verse alone had all thy gentle grace;

But now my gracious numbers are decayed,

And my sick muse doth give another place.

I grant, sweet love, thy lovely argument

Deserves the travail of a worthier pen;

Yet what of thee thy poet doth invent

He robs thee of and pays it thee again.

He lends thee virtue, and he stole that word

From thy behavior; beauty doth he give

And found it in thy cheek. He can afford

No praise to thee but what in thee doth live.

 Then thank him not for that which he doth say,

 Since what he owes thee thou thyself dost pay."

Sonnet 79 

79 MILES = 127.138 KILOMETERS

People born in 1879:

Albert Einstein

Leon Trotsky  

E. M. Forster

Paul Klee

Edward Steichen

Will Rogers

Wallace Stevens

"In 2013, there were 79 death sentences handed down across 15 states. At the time, that was the second-lowest number of condemnations since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976." Alabama Reflector

Vesuvius

"In autumn of 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius violently spewed forth a cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of 33 km (21 mi), ejecting molten rock, pulverized pumice and hot ash at 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[5][6] The event gives its name to the Vesuvian type of volcanic eruption, characterised by columns of hot gases and ash reaching the stratosphere, although the event also included pyroclastic flows associated with Pelean eruptions.

The event destroyed several Roman towns and settlements in the area. Pompeii and Herculaneum, obliterated and buried underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits, are the most famous examples.[4][5] Archaeological excavations have revealed much of the towns and the lives of the inhabitants leading to the area becoming the Vesuvius National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site." Wikipedia

"Rule 79. Records Kept by the Clerk

Primary tabs

(a) Civil Docket.

(1) In General. The clerk must keep a record known as the “civil docket” in the form and manner prescribed by the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts with the approval of the Judicial Conference of the United States. The clerk must enter each civil action in the docket. Actions must be assigned consecutive file numbers, which must be noted in the docket where the first entry of the action is made."  The rest is here. 

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;

    they have defiled your holy temple,

    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

2 They have left the dead bodies of your servants

    as food for the birds of the sky,

    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.

3 They have poured out blood like water

    all around Jerusalem,

    and there is no one to bury the dead.

4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,

    of scorn and derision to those around us.

5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?

    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out your wrath on the nations

    that do not acknowledge you,

on the kingdoms

    that do not call on your name;

7 for they have devoured Jacob

    and devastated his homeland.

8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;

    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,

    for we are in desperate need.

9 Help us, God our Savior,

    for the glory of your name;

deliver us and forgive our sins

    for your name’s sake.

10 Why should the nations say,

    “Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations

    that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.

11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;

    with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.

12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times

    the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.

13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

    will praise you forever;

from generation to generation

    we will proclaim your praise. From Biblegateway

"79. After 45 years of travelling and teaching, the Buddha had reached his eightieth year. Although his mind was strong, he felt that his body was getting weaker. He realised that his life was coming to an end. So he decided to go north to the foothills of the Himalayas, the region where he was born. He wished to enter the final nirvana, or freedom from suffering. On the way north, the Buddha and Ananda stopped in the Bamboo Grove Village, in the kingdom of Patali. The Buddha decided to stay there for the rainy season."  From Buddhanet

Sun And Rain In LA Keep Me Distracted

 There's been a lot of rain here in LA.  For LA anyway.  It was one day rain, the next day sun, then rain.  We just finished two days of steady rain, but today the sun's out.  But with all this, trying to be on vacation yet get things done and gramping, I totally missed Wednesday's hearing.  And while the Superior court has it live on video, they don't leave the recorded (was it recorded?) video up for people to see later.  But they're still talking technical, procedural stuff.  Though listening in would have given me some hints of things might go.  Next meeting is next Wednesday.  But meanwhile here's some LA.

Sunday was sunny and I went for a bike ride with B, an Alaskan friend who's moved down here to be near kids and grandkids.  He took this picture of a house in Marina Del Rey.  This is NOT a typical house.  

It had this sign in the lower left.

Some gentlemen fishing at the boat docks in Marina del Rey.  

Monday morning it was still sunny, but clouds were rolling in as we went to Will Rogers State Park for a hike back into my earlier life.  This is where Will Rogers lived.  His house is there and there's a polo field that's active on weekends.  And also a trail that loops around the property.  

The rain was a fine mist by this point.

All tree bark fascinates me, but eucalyptus trees hold a special place

Here's Will Roger's stable/barn in the wet Monday.

And here it is when it was finished in 1927.

One of the things I like about this park is that it's surrounded by chaparral covered hills.  A smell that takes me back to childhood.  I think it might be why I like David Hockney's swimming pool picture, which I once had to recreate digitally in a computer art class I took.  It was painted at a house not far from here with hills like this in the background. I want you all to know I really liked this picture well before it sold for $100 million.  

In the past when I've hiked this trail I've seen coveys of California quail.  But not this time. 

It was raining when we went to the cemetery to put flowers on my mom's and other family members' graves.  When my brother died young, my mother went to the cemetery weekly to keep fresh flowers from her garden on his space on the wall.  My mom was a lab technician and X-ray technician and so she filled test tubes with water and taped them to the wall.  Many years later, the cemetery got plastic vases and put holders up on the wall.  My inlaws and step father were added to the wall, and more recently my mom.  So when I'm down here I gather flowers - mainly epidendrum, what my mom called 'poor man's orchids' and jade plants - because the last longer.  

A couple of years ago I filled some of the vases with soil and put  jade plant in.  When we came again nearly a year later, they were still alive.  One of the cemetery caretakers was making sure they got water.  Because of COVID I wasn't sure what I would find this time.  We haven't been there for almost two years.  But I shouldn't have worried.  Each vase had a healthy jade plant, one had a different succulent, alive and thriving.  We added the flowers we brought and I have to leave a thank you for the caregiver before we return to Anchorage.

Nearby my mom's spot is this one.  

Yesterday it was raining again.  I had an appointment in Beverly Hills with the eye doctor who's been checking my contacts since 1975.  I took my granddaughter with me and she had a number of questions.  

They had a COVID testing site in the parking lot.  

And most of the nearby shops (but not all) had very COVID warnings.

oops, this one needed higher res, sorry

These were near where we parked the car and I thought they were pretty.  Picture didn't turn out that well.

After we went by a park where both my wife and I attended summer camp.  We didn't know each other then at all.  We only found out we'd both been there when I found an old camp picture in my mom's garage, after she died.  I should my wife my 8 year old self and she then pointed out her own image on the picture.  

They've take out most of the features that made it a wonderful place for kids - different spaces separated by different kinds of bushes and a swimming pool on one end.  The pool is gone - the the playground there was blocked off yesterday by tape because there were several inches of water.  This trail was the nicest part of the park now - and it was a giant puddle.  Basically they wiped out all the park and put in two baseball diamonds.  

And driving home down Olympic, the clouds were playing hide and seek with the tops of the buildings in Century City.  

Today's sunny again, and so we have a bike ride scheduled.  We got the brakes fixed on my granddaughter's bike and she wants to use it.  

Alaska Redistricting Board: State Wide Testimony Today Overview And Rough Notes

The Alaska Redistricting Board met in a Statewide call-in to take testimony today on the six maps that were adopted in September for consideration.  They have been gathering feedback across the state before submitting the finalized maps.  

I took running notes, which are really rough.  In 2011-12 I posted such notes because there were no other ways to get the information.  This time round the Board is doing a pretty good job of getting the testimony posted on the Board’s website within a week or so.  

Today Board member Nicole Borromeo chaired the meeting and Board member Bethany Marcum sat in as well.  Board chair John Binkley also listened in and occasionally made comments.  They had scheduled times when different parts of the state could call in and get priority.  When there were no more callers from that area, they took calls from all over.  

Some of my quick impressions:

 Fairbanks callers overwhelmingly preferred Board version 4 (v4) and the AFFR maps.  And disliked v3.  They particularly opposed putting North Pole and Fairbanks into the same district.  

Southeast callers still have a bad taste in their mouths about the original maps that cut out Rep. Story from her district and put her against another Democratic incumbent. 

There were a couple comments from the Homer area that wanted Fritz Creek to be part of Homer.  This reflected a lot of testimony at a previous meeting.  

The meeting also got me thinking about the whole issue of what things really are important to be together in state House districts.  What’s important and what is merely cosmetic or emotional?   I’ll flesh that out in a later post.  I’m still thinking it through and trying to bore down to the key elements and not have a lot of fluff.  

So, here are my notes.  Some caveats first:

 GIANT APOLOGY ABOUT PEOPLE’S NAMES!!!  I’m listening in via the phone. The Board has the list of people who have called in and want to talk, so they aren’t asking people to spell their names.  Leave corrections in the comments or email me (see upper side bar right)

I type as fast as I can and while I once was a pretty good typist, my fingers are getting slower.  Also, my ears aren’t as good as they were.

So, what you should expect here is the gist of what people were saying and if there is something important you can look for it when the Board posts the Oct. 30, 2021 testimony.

Assume errors and omissions.  

 

Some Abbreviations
SEI = Socio-Economic Integration  FB= Fairbanks;  NP = North Pole v3 and v4 = Board maps versions 3 and 4 FNSB = Fairbanks North Star Borough AFFR = Alaskans for Fair Redistricting (3rd Party) AFFER = Alaskans for Fair and Equitable Redistricting (3rd Party)

About 10:15 am   Nicole Borremeo:  

James Squire = Delta, Gulkana - we should be connected with Eilson - they have missiles and so do we.  Drainage, geographic features should be part of this process.  I sent a map that does a much better job.

Up highway to Eilson, Denali Borough, Clear Air Force - moves the needle of SEI (Socio-Economic Integration) and compactness.  Koyukuk drainage.  

Directed to use the census numbers.  Our area has more PFD applications than shown in our Census Count.  No reason to deny them.  Privacy.  Boundaries in wilderness, not on highways.  If you can see campaign signs on both sides of the road, then that’s a problem because those people should be in same district.  

Nicole, Marcum - questions?

Fairbanks Area - AFFR Map

[Here's a link to the Board's Map Gallery]

Casey ?Cafort - Fairbanks.  Grown up in FB and NP and two distinct communities, shouldn’t be in one district.  FB oriented along river.  FMeyer.  V3 follows boundaries, but no reason to redistrict. Don’t follow those things precisely in Anchorage.  As recent UAF graduate.  Hope you keep UAF together - only AFFR map does that now.  UAF critical part of our community and economy.  Appreciate opportunity to be heard.

Nicole:  Thank you.  

Kelvin Rogers - Support AFFR and preference for version 4 over 3.  V3 makes no sense to me - puts us with NP a place I’ve been a few times over my 6 years in FB.  V4 splits up FB along lines that makes sense.  

10:19

?Bretta  McAdams - grew up in FB, schools here.  Learned to drive here.  Alaskalands, Blockbusters.  Like John Binkley.  V3 is political map by former politician that gerrymanders FB.  Also divides FB by n-s which is against the Chena River that goes east west.  Both AFFR and V4 give us better representation.  

10:22

Alissa Franklin? - FB community organizer here for about 21 years.  Raised and school and now work as organizer.  Really know the community.  Others my points as well.  Definitely not v3, unnatural to neighborhood, work, etc.  V4 and AFFR better job capturing that natural orientation.  Why v3 so bad?  D31  Ester, Fox, Goldstream, Farmers Loop - that’s a good hours drive to get to Two Rivers.  Completely different communities.  Talking about neighborhoods - how is this fair to any of these communities.  Eilson completely different needs from University.  How people compete with each other.   Not fair and equitable.  How do we best represent these needs without cutting district in half.  Majority of POC live in these areas.  Access to voting, have to cross two different districts to get to their voting place.  AFFER/AFFR? do better job of how we’re laid out, not competing with each other, but picking person who represents our communities/  Wish I could drive you around

Leo Hippert?  - Needlessly under represents FB  Treated FB differently from other places.  Things oriented east west.  As U student feel connected to U and Goldstream, Ester, similar values and have one voice on issues.  AFFR and v4 represents these, but v3 is bad.  AFFR has racial ???  NP and FB different interests.

Nicole - any SEI issues in AFFR maps that you’d like Board to consider.  A:  Not really didn’t do research on that.  

Stuart Chapin - FB for last 50 years.  Appreciate importance and glad listening to testimony.  Strongly prefer AFFR or v4 and feel v3 divides FB in ways that are not in the best interests.  Prefer AFFR for two reasons.  V3 under represents FB in state.  V3 doesn’t represent various communities that make up FB area.  FB along east west along Tanana River.  People who share values and service area interests should be grouped together .  AFFR much better than v3.   Hope you take the FB testimony into consideration because we all agree.

North Pole - Barbara Kendall?  50 years in Alasak.  Any plan for NP should include Eilson and Salcha.  Where we do shopping, churches, housing.  Some adjustment to AFFER plan, but concur that AFFR and v4 would do best.  Would increase population a bit - but in NSFB and better aligned.

Q:  You like AFFER.  Yes.  Prefer over v4.

Allison Cafort - lifelong FB resident, grew up in ?? And NP.  Now west FB.  Distinct communities and shouldn’t be in the same district.  V3 does that not good.  Also overpopulates.  V4 and AFFR follow east west orientation.  As current UAF student - keep U and Fox etc. together - where many faculty live.  AFFR map.  

Lori Huffer?  15 years FB.  And unique NP area.  Thanks for listening.  Support competitive fair and equitable map.  NOT v3.  Interested in AFFR and V4, better represents our communities.  FB and NP seen as separate communities.  Thanks for insuring we’ll have appropriate representation by not using v3 and focusing on AFFR and v4.  

Q:  Any SEI issues?  I guess we lost her

Gary Kendall - NP- overview comparisons of versions.  Balance several criteria - pop.  Compactness, SEI.  In interest of representation give more weight than just population .   AFFER map seems to be the best balance of factors under consideration.  NE corner of D6C - portion goes north of the river and down toward NP, that would be better placed with 9E, NP Moose Creek, based on where people are and work and interests  D8D, westward with Badger Road border- move it up and make border along the river better than the road itself.  AFFER map does better job of bringing in North Creek Salcha and Eilson .  Thank you.

Martha Roberts - final FB in queue for now.  50 years in FB mostly in University and now just north of Farmers loop.  Agree with others v3 shouldn’t be used.  FB in5 districts all the others have 6 districts.  Also separates NP from Eilson.  Main testimony is against v3 map.  I prefer the Senate minority map which puts my area with ??  Which seems better than with Fox.  

Nicole:  FB has 5 districts in both v3 and v4.

Martha:  Oh, I miscounted.  When release Senate pairings?

Nicole:  Not yet, plan to do closer to Nov 10.  These are still draft form.  

Move outside of interior - 

Sen. Tom Begich - State senate minority leader, here because Wednesday you asked views on constitutionality.  Touch lengthy.

Alaska Court have focused on lover deviations of house districts over time.  But Board seems to be moving to maps with higher deviations.  Many 3rd party plans have said there can be lower deviations without sacrificing the other criteria.   Likelihood v3 and v4 lawsuits because 

of deviations.  Those decisions March 21, 2002 Court - priority must be given first to Federal Constitution, VRA, and then to Alaska Constitution.  1.  Contiguousness and compactness, SEI, Community boundaries, geographic boundaries.     Representation over SEI.   Overemphasizing  SEI over others is inconsistent.  

First you draw the map with Alaska Constitution, then 

Reynolds and Brown - federal considerations — Alaska SC found Alaska should have narrower standards.  Newly available tech advances make it easy to meet lower deviations.  10% deviations in Anchorage meet federal standards, but burden shifted to board that lower deviations impracticable. If districts can be created with our technology.  Boroughs and cities are defined as SEI, then Board is compelled to lower the deviations.  As you heard from FB.  

All FB and Matsu districts and 16 Anchorage districts are all .14???   And Kenai and SE also .

Focus on deviation emerges from Hickel and 1998 - AK constitution requires relatively SEI - means we compare to proposed districts to previous districts and alternative districts.  

Board reduces FB representation and gives extra FB to other district.  

Hickel - excess pop shouldn’t be given to other districts.  It may be necessary to divide a borough, however where possible all the excess population should go to one district.  You want to give representation to those who deserve it.  Board maps don’t that   Proportional representation.  

Board’s counsel has interpreted this differently.  Kenai Peninsula Borough ….   Recognizes that it shouldn’t divide the municipalities, was open for legitimate non-discriminate polices.  In that passage, court conclusion honed in on MOA and Matsu B’s together because fractional seats.  That’s important.  Underscores how interpreted by the courts and how interpreted now.  

Footnote seven:  2002 case Matsu 3.8 and Anch - .? Would support 20.4 seats.  But Board gets 17 and Matsu gets 4 for 21 seats.  Saying because way board did it, created an additional seat.  Today, the over pop 5.8 for Matsu and 15.8 of Anchorage would create total of 16 + 6.  Excess then 2001 combining excess would be excess of ??? Seats and would have to look north or south to do that excess.   West was not excluded as an option.  Can’t be absorbed - 2001 told board to take hard look at north.  Now, today Board trying to do that.  Kenai, Matsu, Anch. And FB need low deviations meeting standards.  AFFR maps do this.  Board is compelled to meet standards of 3rd party maps.

Cordova with SE?  Court acknowledged to Baranof Island would be compact, but further would not.  Including Cordova in D5 to reduces deviation.  That ruling allows Board to consider Cordova with SE to reduce deviation.  

ER and Anch - part of SEI of Anchorage, but compelling testimony should ER be separate.  2 districts from ER and Peters Creek.  Might be compelling to combine house districts in this area into single Senate seat.  Anchorage neighborhoods substantial dispareity.  SEI - multiple compact continuous districts.  In Groh we considered ….   

If low deviations can be met without sacrificing AK constitutional criteria, it’s important.  

Kenai-  less disruption to overall map, should be considered.  Multiple ways to do Anch and FB under 1.4% deviation  SE   - more mathematical precision in urban areas.  Limits opportunities for gerrymandering.  

AK court has ruled that Delta Junction (2001) has no constitutional right to be in a single house district, as long as each portion is integrated.    Board should take hard look - Saxman is part of borough, more connected to Ketchikan than with other Native districts in SE.  

How you arrived at higher deviations is what matters.  

Lengthy answer - hope it answers your questions.  

Nicole:  Thank you.  Board did ask for clarification and apology.  Clarification - Board chose John Binkley to chair meeting but we are all equals.  

Returning to Fairbanks:

Darla Hudson?  - short comment.  Don’t support v3.  No sense to put FB with NP.  Been here for ??30 yers. Listening to Mr. Squires - not grouping Delta with Koyakuk.  Natural borders.  ??

Eilson and Salcha do most shopping in FB, not in Delta.

Christina Buckington??  - After reviewing maps, Doyon coalition along with aspects v4 and Minority Senate map.  Do not support v3.  Donut shape Doyon keeps contiguous urban and rural areas together.  Also integrate tribal communities.  Minority map keeps communities together though I haven’t reviewed the map beyond FB area. 

Mindy O’Neall - Presiding officer of FNSB Assembly - voted - stayed away from comments about one map.  Biggest concern - general underpopulation of overpopulated districts.  FB has right to 5 plus districts.  Ask that extra population be put into a single district.  Due to urban nature it’s unnecessary to require to go through other districts to get to other side of districts.

Neighborhoods that share values and common - Excess pop into one district rather than spreading among five districts. 

Nicole:  clarify - testify on behalf of  NSB Assembly A:  Yes

Ellen Murray McKazy? - Live -   2007 retired from teaching at UAF.  AFFR map best for us.  Binkley map out of balance.  Would have me with NP.  Not my community.  Overpopulates us. Underprepresented and Matsu and Anch overrep.  Does not match east-west orientation of FB.

V4 and AFFR maps respect east west divide.  First choice is AFFR map.  Second v4.  Thank you for considering my opinion and for your work.  

Nicole:  switch to SE, Kodiak, Kenai

???   I wanted to voice opinion of Kachemak, Homer on Kenai.  I oppose v3  spell my name: 

No thanks Terry, we have info already.  Board proposed maps v3 and v4 strongly oppose.  Seperating Fitz Creek from Homer makes no sense.  

Don’t understand Doyon map very well - Sen Minority looks very logical to me as well as the AFFER Kenai Peninsula looks logical.  Alll the others including AFFR makes no sense.  Separating Frizt Creek is out of the question.

Nicole:  We did Homer area weeks ago and others made same point.  

SE callers:

Mr. Witte???  I can’t do better than Sen Begich, but would add minimizing deviation so opposed to v3 and v4 and support Doyon, AFFR, and Senate Minority because they have smaller deviations. Oppose AFFER because of Mendenhall - and v3 because of obvious intentional carving out rep Story.   

Nicole:  For the record, the Story was corrected early on the map.  Can I ask a question about the deviation.  United Ketchikan Wrangell borough - keep Prince of Wales?

I’m in Juneau and I’ll leave that to SE people.

Nicole - divide between Juneau and Valley?

Mr.  Valley homogenous in terms of economics  AFFR and Sen Democrats have minor differences but keep valley as one district.  

Jaeleen Kookesh - Sealaska Corp - thank Board for their service.  Appreciate opportunity to comment.  Sealaska proud to work with Coalition with Doyon- urge to consider this map.  Specifically to issues of importance.  Borders of house districts inSE.  Rural Alaskan communities and support of Doyon around FB and NSB.

SE:  Compact, contiguous and SEI population 3.89 districts - two senate seats and four districts.  Preferred SE Alaska Island district.  Angoon, Kake, Sitka.  Key feature of SE is islands.  With exception of Admiralty Island in north.  Some options for Juneau.  [Can’t keep up with details]  Many rural communities with areas that do not share concerns and culture.  We support our coalition partners for rural communities

3.  Concerns about FB v3 map.  About 800 people more in each district.  Will submit written testimony.  Want to thank you.  History my late father lost his seat in rural Alaska. 

Nicole:  can PofWales Island be split?

Kookesh:  We didn’t look at breaking up communities.  Looking at PoW - at least the traditional Native communities stay together.  Don’t want to speak for the island.  

Nicole:  If you of PoW contacts, please have them contact us.

11:40

Jim Ayers- Thank you for service, maps and tables.  Worked in Juneau for most of 40 years - Douglas, Auk Bay.  Worked with some of you and respect you very much.  Our community is wonderful place to live, work, raise a family.  Community works well.  Talked to you a few weeks ago.  Community naturally meeting the fair, balanced, non-partisan way - Valley flow together.  Downtown flow together.  V3 and v4 bring divisiveness.  Board says they corrected concerns about line cutting out Story.  I heard that - if that correction you referred to mean you are no longer pursuing that?

Nicole:  yes it was corrected.  Unfortunate software glitch. No intention to pit current elected representatives.   Board has no knowledge where representative live.  No intention to pit incumbents against each other or protect them.

Ayers:  State suffers from continuing strife and divisiveness. Imperative you consider whether you actions increase that divisiveness in our state.  I worked with Bill Hudson.  He was elected in Juneau several times and he likely would be elected again.  If there is a reason or motivation of some to change the representatives we’ve elected, they should choose a candidate and not change the district to achieve your goals. Support Doyon, and ?? maps.  Urge you to do right thing for us.  And thank you again for your public servie.

Nicole:  Question from John Binkley

Binkley:  I have Borromeo’s comments - I believe the architect of that area in v3 and v4 have - there was an appendage and what you’re suggesting it was ??  [hard to understand I think he’s emphasizing it was accidental.]  We decided not to formally make those changes.  Just making maps - public hearing process  [can’t understand, bad connection]  

Ayers;  30 second Response?  Thank you so much Sen.  We’ve known each other a long time and great respect for you.  And firmly believe in your forthrightness and what you’ve said. I’ve looked at maps.  I don’t support v3 and v4.  I do support Doyon and irrespective of politics, I do believe you’ll look at the best aspects of the redistricting.  

John:  I’ll call back in and try to get better connection.

Nicole

Susan Warner in Gustavus.  Thank you for your work to fairly redistrict and for offering Doyon map that retains connection with Juneau and Haines.  Please consider D33 boundaries to have a say in our inside waters adjacent to our community.  

11:58am  Nicole:  that includes all the callers we have in queue.  

Juli Lucky:  We will be available until 4pm to call in.  

Calls will be prioritized by time for areas, but anyone can call. 

12:34   Caller from Juneau

?? Lyman - some maps left me horror struck.  Most favor Senate Minority map.  Don’t know how ? Harbor put together - or putting representatives together, clear gerrymandering.  My preference is Senate minority map. 

Nicole:  comments from Board.  Ms. Lyman, the board is committed to a fair map and no intentional gerrymandering.  

Times for certain regions:  SE currently, PWS and Kodiak, but no calls in line so anyone can call now.  

1pm Kenai Pen. Anchorage Matsu

2pm Northwest (I think that’s what she said)

3pm Statewide

12:43

Caller from Fairbanks

Leslie Peters - live just south of Chena Pump Road, since 1975.  Past redistricting.  This time since I’m retired I had time to look at maps carefully.  Don’t agree with v3 or v4.  I prefer plan forAFFR, less community division and less deviation.  Allows North Pole to have its own rep.  I’ve worked and taken class at University and don’t have that much in common with other places.  More in common with peoples over the ridge.  Mr. Binkley know that.  Putting districts in direct conflict.  Should look at AFFR maps.  Thank you for your efforts, has to be tough task.  

Binkley:  thank you Leslie for coming out and testifying and paying attention. It is hard, daunting putting all the pieces together statewide. To get the best possible map.  We share a district, we’re neighbors.  Do we keep the district as a whole or take the extra .2 population.  Which part of FB do we send to that extra district?  West side?  Eilson?  Or the North side?  Or keep it altogether even tho overpopulated.  

Leslie:  Thank you.  I looked at deviation numbers and I understand that.  Biggest reason tried to find those that have less deviation.  Thanks for listening.  

12:48  Andrea Dewees - calling from SE Lifelong Alaskan.  In support of map proposed by the Senate Minority, best for SE.  Appreciate your considering interests of voters not incumbents.  I like how Juneau is grouped.

12:52

Catherine Heinz?   Thanks for having this on a Saturday.  I live in Two Rivers, a pretty gerrymandered district and I hope this will change.  I think you know what I’m talking about.  I looked at proposed changes and want to throw my support to v4 or Doyon.  Want to see the communities united and not spread out - like Chena Hotsprings.  That’s all.  

Binkley:  Thanks for participating.  I appreciate what you’re saying over past cycles - your current rep is from Tok and that’s difficult for someone in NSFB is difficult. 

Catherine:  I realize that represent statewide issues as much as when my neighbors talk about what’s important to us and whether this person in Tok knows anything about our neighborhood, schools, etc.  A huge district that person has to carry and canvas.  Not useful.  

Binkley:  I appreciate that.  Question before us really is do we keep the whole Borough together in five overpopulated districts or do we break it apart and send a small portion to a rural district.  

12:59

1:05  Anchorage Chelsea ??  Support the AFFR map.  Only one that fairly represents the diverse communities of east Anchorage, Mountain View and downtown.  Not connected to ER.  Although the board may prefer one of their own maps, I’m hoping they consider AFFR.  I live in South Anchorage.  AFFR doesn’t pair hillside with East Anchorage. 

Nicole:  Any SEI criteria to consider?

Not at this time, but I’ll get back to you if they come up.  

1:33  Christopher Constant - speaking personally.  Not as chair of Assembly redistricting committee.  PreferAFFR map.  ER kept separate.  ER has own perspective.  Govt Hill connected with ER is several maps that are politically opposite with how we live and organize our lives.  ER prides itself on large maps, wells and sewer system.  In my neighborhood small lots, city utilities.  Listen to ER they have been clamoring for their own city.  They have unity of demographics and economics that is very different from our community.  So strongly urge you to use AFFR map.  

2pm - Alaska NW Districts now

John Sowell??? Juneau  Concern with redistricting maps.  Against each other.  Takeoverof the country.  Adding  districts to make up imbalance.  We’ll be in SC.  Hope we do.  I am aware the intention is to have story.  I think there is something untoward about redistricting.  Maintain our representation .  That’s about it.  Thanks.  Not much business this afternoon.  Do want to be more specific.  Can’t give.  Representation here in Juneau.  Thank you.

2:12 

Kotzebue - John Lincoln - President of NANA regional corporations.  15,000 shareholders in NW Alaska including Buckland And Deering.  Keeping our SE Integrated  together.  Clear evidence of 

Roads, ancient social ties and more.  All testifiers in Kotzebue want to keep Buckland And Deering together.  

3:09 - John Rasmon?  - FB  would like to keep Salcha, Wainright, and ??  together.

Nicole:  Thanks for your clear preference of v4.  

3:15 back  Anchorage

Diane Preston - After navigating your website you did a lot of work.  AFFR and AFFER maps hard to navigate.  AFFR map seems the best.  AFFER pairs me with Chena Hot springs road and separates me with my across the street neighbors.  Senate Minority also splits my neighborhood too.  V4 keeps me with my neighbors. AFFR looks the best for Fairbanks.  

3:29 Anchorage caller

Laura  ??  AFFR plan shows all neighborhoods equally represented no district varying more than 36 people.  Only one that fairly groups downtown, mt. View, Fairview.   Doesn’t group downtown with JBER.  Follows community council districts as much as possible.  Has Chugiak and ER form own Senate district.  Eagle Exit wants to separate so they should have their own Senator.  

3:47 pm caller from Fairbanks

Mary Elizabeth ??? - here over 30 years.  Important to all of us.  My issue concern with v3 not fair for the Borrough.  According to the Census, we should get 5.23 house seats.  Five seats for the borough and then one other seat with the excess population.  Should go to an adjoining district to meet one person one vote standard.  

Binkley:  What part should be put into an adjacent district?

Mary Elizabeth ??  - West side - they have their own style.  

Binkley - where do we put the extra 4000 people - go into a district with representative far away - people complained about being represented by someone from Tok.  

4pm

Nicole Borromeo, also online Bethany Marcum and Chair John Binkley have been online and we are signing off now.  Adjourned.  

 

Redistricting Issues From Friday's Meeting: Gerrymandering,- The Issue Underlying Most People's Concerns

[Note:  I thought this post was going to be about 'issues' raised at the Friday (Sept 17,2021) meeting. But the more I worked on it, the more it was clear that all the issues stem from attempts to and concerns about gerrymandering.  With three Board members nominated by Republicans, one by and Independent, and one by the nominally apolitical Chief Justice, there is concern by non-Republicans.] [Note 2:  This post  kept me hostage most of the day and roughly does what it says above. And more.]

Friday after the meeting,  I put up links to the seven 3rd party map proposals that were introduced at the meeting, but without much comment.  In this post I'm going to focus on the public testimony and the issues that were raised.  I won't get into the details of the 3rd party plans - I need a lot more time.  But I can talk about the underlying issues that they represent which, in some cases, are related to the issues the public raised.  

Let's start with a headline in today's Anchorage Daily News - and let me say that I'm glad that the ADN is actually covering redistricting at all this time around.  Last time round it was a long time before they had any serious stories.  

"May" in this headline should be "will."  There is no question redistricting will determine Alaska's elections for the next ten years.  The question is whether it will skew them hard to the right or let us have relatively fair elections meaning the districts will allow the state legislature to reflect the will of the  voters.  Why not skewed to the left? As I mentioned above three of the Board members were chosen by Republicans.  The governor chose two:   Budd Simpson of Juneau and Bethany Marcum of Anchorage.  Simpson is a Juneau attorney and has been relatively quiet at Board meetings.  Marcum is the executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum.  APF is one of the many far right, libertarian, anti-government 'think tanks' with funding ties to the Kochs* who work hard to remove regulations and keep taxes lower among other things.  Marcum's job at APF is to further the interests of the far right ideology.  This is a perfect position for her to do that.  Can she refrain from taking advantage of this opportunity and work for a fair map?  Does she want to?  Can the rest of the board counter that?  Let me say, that I don't know Bethany Marcum other than having introduced myself at one of the meetings.  She was warm and welcoming.  

*[I think' Kochs' or 'Koch Brothers' is now the generic term, even though brother Charles is the only one left..  "Charles has always been the brains behind the brothers’ vast corporate and political operations."]

The third Republican, chair John Binkley, was appointed by then Senate President Cathy Giessel.  Geisel was seen as a very conservative Republican until Governor Dunleavy started massive budget cuts.  She joined a coalition with Democrats and was primaried out of her seat by the Republican Party.  Binkley is a former state senator and Fairbanks businessman.  His family owns the Anchorage Daily News.  He's chaired the Board with an eye toward allowing public testimony at the beginning and end of each public meeting and has leaned toward openness.  My interactions with the Board staff have all been met with openness.  

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (I) chose Nicole Borromeo, head counsel for the Alaska Federation of Natives.  I'd note that Edgmon had been a Democrat.  

Chief Justice Bolger appointed Melanie Bahnke, the president and CEO of Nome-based regional nonprofit Kawerak Inc.

Does this represent Alaskans?  The largest single category of voters is "undeclared" which means they chose not to say what party they align with. Of the groups that do declare, 'non-partisan' has the second highest total. But they don't get a seat on the Board.   The latest list of registered voters in Alaska (9/3/21) shows this breakdown:

Registered Voters	Alaska	Sept 3, 2021
Political Parties	A - ALASKAN INDEPENDENCE PARTY D - ALASKA DEMOCRATIC PARTY R - ALASKA REPUBLICAN PARTY	18,947 78,946 144,249
Political Groups	C - ALASKA CONSTITUTION PARTY   E - MODERATE PARTY OF ALASKA  F - FREEDOMREFORM PARTY  G - GREEN PARTY OF ALASKA  H - OWL PARTY  K - ALLIANCE PARTY OF ALASKA  L - ALASKA LIBERTARIAN PARTY  O - PROGRESSIVE PARTY OF ALASKA  P - PATRIOT’S PARTY OF ALASKA   V - VETERANS PARTY OF ALASKA  W - UCES' CLOWNS PARTY	672 280 1 1,482 58 24 6,870 163 167 1,307 125
Other	N - NONPARTISAN U - UNDECLARED	81,258 259,603

The Board's draft proposed maps had come out clearly partisan - three Democratic representatives had been put in one district.  Another had been moved to a more conservative leaning district.  Muldoon had been divided into four different districts.  The north pulled into mover conservative Eagle River, the South into more conservative Hillside, and the two middle parts had been divided into two east-west districts.  A Juneau Democratic representative's house had been kidnapped into another Democrat's district.  Fairbanks was all overpopulated and Matsu was underpopulated.  

The public testimony:  I went through my notes and created a chart that makes it easier to distill the key points.  I'll add it at the bottom.  Here's my sense of the main thrusts:

1. Gerrymandering.The maps are clearly gerrymandered and here are some specific examples - usually talking about the three Anchorage Democratic representatives who were all put in one district, the Juneau Democratic  rep whose house was cut out and put into another Democrats district, and a few other spots here and there.
2. Socio-Economic Integrity. People who are explicitly or implicitly talking about Socio-Economic Integrity, one of the Constitutional requirements for districts.  These broke down into the following:
1. Anchorage and Matsu are not socio-economically integrated
2. More micro concerns about neighborhoods in Anchorage or Fairbanks.  Testimony that the board should respect Anchorage community council boundaries.
3. Rural concerns about which villages (Interior) or which communities (SE) should or shouldn't be together, North and South of Alaska range shouldn't be together, etc.
3. Compactness.  A  couple mentioned compactness
4. Not Partisan.  The maps are NOT partisan and those calling in to say so have been coached by extreme partisan political groups.
5. Senate Pairings missing - Without the Senate pairings we can't tell if this is fair.
6. Procedural issues
1. Expand Testimony Hours.There should be evening and weekend sessions for public testimony for people who can't participate during work hours
2. Incumbents Policy.  The board should add to it's current policy of "not protecting incumbents" the corollary to "not target incumbents"
3. Board - Public Communication on Mapping. Board members should only work with the Board's software that has no partisan data and report any input on mapping from the public that is not given through public testimony.

Let me comment on these.

1. Gerrymandering - The Board's Executive Director made an opening comment about how the software the Board is using does not have partisan data and the maps had not been made in a partisan way.  A number of folks testifying spoke about a difference between what the Board said and what the maps showed.  My sense is that one or two Board members got partisan information from people they know and that made it into the proposed draft plans.  It would be difficult to have so many examples of Democratic representatives lumped together and so few GOP legislators lumped together. (The one GOP example was Rep. Shaw being put in a district with another Republican incumbent, but people are also saying that Shaw is planning to retire.  But I have no confirmation of that.)  
2. Socio-Economic Integrity -  S-E Integrity is one of four key requirements for all districts.  The requirements (from state and federal constitutions) have to be balanced off.  S-E Integrity is in the eye of the beholder.  The Alaska Supreme Court, in reviewing maps in previous redistricting cases that districts within a borough or city boundaries are by definition socio-economically integrated.  The Board's attorney has also cited a case where the court said that Matsu borough and Anchorage borough are socio-economically integrated.  He later backed off and said parts of Matsu (like the south that abuts Anchorage) and parts of Anchorage (like the northern parts that abut Matsu have been ruled socio-economically integrated.  It would be nice if the Board could respect all community councils and other neighborhood connections, but doing that and meeting the other standards will be tough.  The Board can fall back on the rulings that say everything within borough and city boundaries are socio-economically integrated.   The three other criteria that have to be met are: 
1. contiguity (all parts of the district touch)
2. compactness (they are as small or square like as possible
3. one-person-one vote  (roughly equal in population (the term deviation refers to how many people and percent the districts deviate from the ideal district size, which in this decade's process is 18,335 people per district (the state's population divided by 40 districts.  The maximum statewide deviation between districts is 10% but the expectation is for much lower deviation, especially in urban areas with denser population)
3. Compactness - the only specific example I recall is the 'Story bubble' in Juneau along a highway which has a loop that grabs Story's house and pulls it out of the old district.  There are two intents here, one positive and one negative:
1. The smaller and more compact a district, the easier it is for people to campaign and to represent the district.  Because of Alaska's large spaces and sparse population, this is impossible and one current district is larger that many (most?) states.
2. Politicians have learned to create districts that twist and turn to include and exclude voters to build districts that distort the political outcome to favor their party.  Compact districts makes this a little harder.  
4. Non-Partisan - there were about four people who made this argument two or three of whom argued that extremely partisan political groups had coached people to testify that districts were gerrymandered.  And that these groups themselves were trying to gerrymander. My sense is that these folks were disingenuous at best.  
1. There were a number of cases, already cited, where Democratic representatives were lumped together meaning several incumbents would have to lose their seats.  And it almost all hurt Democrats.  It would have been hard for this to have been accidental.
2. While these folks said the districts were fine, they didn't counter the specific districts that were cited.
3. They complained about people being coached to testify.  I am aware that AFFR did attempt to educate people about the redistricting process and about the way the initial two maps were drawn.  This is a normal part of political organizing.  Here is a  Link to Robin O'Donahue's webinar on redistricting.  I think this group's major complaint is that AFFR and others did a good job of alerting people to the process and the problems they saw.  This is why we have public participation in the process.  The Board listened and all the testimony will be taken into consideration.  If it is valid, let's hope the Board will incorporate it into the final maps.  If not, that they disregard it.  
4. To charge these 3rd party groups with trying to gerrymander is ludicrous.  It's the Board that has been charged with making the maps.  Only the mapmakers themselves can actually gerrymander the state.  Outside groups can attempt to prevent that from happening by testifying during the process and suing if they find the final product to have violated the law.  The Board has three Republican appointed members.  If anything, the power is on their side to come up with maps that tilt the political power to the right.  
5. Senate Pairings missing - I can understand the Board's point of view that since this is just the first draft, the Senate pairings wouldn't be final anyway.  However, without the Senate pairings, public can't evaluate the  legality of the districts.  It does suggest that the Board get Senate pairings done early enough to get public reaction before submitting them.  Last time, the Board paired and East Anchorage district with an Eagle River district and successfully got rid of a Democratic Senator who was the only African-American legislator at the time.  The Senate pairings were done, as I recollect, at the very end and there were no public hearings after they were made and before the plan was finalized.  
6. Procedural Issues - I think the first one - non-work hours to testify - is self explanatory.  I testified for the other part.  
1. While the Board did adopt a policy to not 'protect incumbents' the result of the first draft maps show they also need a policy 'to not target incumbents.'
2. The Board has not put partisan data into the software on the members' computers.  But it really appears that some of the mapmakers did have access to information about incumbents' home addresses.  The reaction of the public at the meetings shows many do not trust the Board.  So I proposed that the Board not consult privately with people not on the Board.  The public testimony - written and oral - is the proper way for the public to share information.  Thus Board members should report any contact with the public that attempts to given them specific information about map making.  I think this would go a long way to help the Board's creditability.  I'd note that at the meeting one of the people who worked on the Anchorage map - Nicole Borromeo - said she did not have any political information.  She was basically reworking a map mainly done by Bethany Marcum.  

There's a lot more to write about.  But this is already more than most people are going to read.  And the next Board meeting begins in less than 12 hours.  The Board will discuss the 3rd Party plans and also they're plans to hold public meetings around the state to get further feedback.  

So I'll call it a day for now.  More tomorrow.  The Chart I made of the testimony is below.  And below that are my written notes - very, very rough and to be used only as a guide of what was discussed. The Board is getting audio and transcripts up much faster than the previous board did.  So you can use the notes to get to the parts you want to hear.  

Sept 17,2021 Testimony Table Alaska Redistricting Board by Steve on Scribd

Rough Notes From Meeting Friday

Notes below are my quick and dirty and spotty notes from the meeting.  There are big gaps when we get to the 3rd party plans because they read from their materials.  I have put links to those materials.  

Again, this should give you a sense of what they discussed and if there's something of interest you can look for the tape or transcription when the Board puts that online.  

Alaska Redistricting Board  Sept 17, 2021  9am meeting

Members:  Melanie Bahnke , Nicole Borromeo, John Binkley, Bethany Marcum, Budd Simpson

9:05 members here, Marcum still coming.

Exec Director presentation - where we are at so that public has understanding of project.

Adopt draft agenda - passed

Peter Torkelson (ED)

-dramatic increase in interest in our work after proposed maps.  Chart on board of hits to websie.

-required to adopt one or more plans at least 30 days after receiving census data.  We did that on Sept 9.  Two maps.  On Friday, back to work, more compactness,  new maps that will be reflected on Monday’s meetings (we heard SE loud and clear.  This is a public process.  Adopting our draft proposals, just a beginning.

Now 6-7 week process of taking maps to the public - with COVID awareness.  

Received about 160 Public testimony

Some groups have invested thousands of dollars into Software, hired staff.  

Purpose of today’s meeting is to open the door to other groups to bring their maps.

John:  Questions?

Peter:  Board taking wide blank screen approach.  We did not include political data, blind to data on the software.

John:  Our intent to gather as much public input as we can  Testimony at beginning and end of meetings.  Try to be apolitical.  Alaska different.  Most states use legislature to draw own maps.  Five of us here appointed by gov, leg. And Supreme Court.  Tries to pull ???

Number of people online signed up.  

Online first, keep it brief.  Lots of people 

Anchorage, Tahnee Seccareccia - In Anchorage 20 years, Spenard.  Drummond is my rep.  Calling to ask the Board that process is truly non-partisan.  Two drafts concerning how Anchorage areas and greater Alaska split up or combined.  My area joined with Turnagain and downtown.  We are geographically distinct.  Appears to be gerrymandering.  The gentleman who said this is non-partisan - not true.  Consider 3rd party maps non partisan.

Former rep David Guttenberg Fairbanks -16  years in legislature - I repped 3 different districts until they were ruled unconstitutional  Had my district out of Goldstream to the coast, Hooper Bay.  Experience repping district gerrymandered so I know how hard that is and wrong.  In order to get from west side to east side, had to drive thru 3 other districts.  A real problem here.  Different schools, community centers, shop in different places, no commonality. 

Urge you to pay attention to way line around Old Dog East trail in - I’ve repped that side.  A few houses there.  Isolated from one side of district to the other.  Dis. 32 is clearly a problem that doesn’t rep either part of the district.  Thank you.

John:  Marcum has joined us. 

Marcum:  Apologies.   

Kelvin Rogers, Fairbanks:  Chopped up Fairbanks.  Rather see other options for the maps.  Great injustice.  

Anchorage audience:  Lois Epstein:  Alaska Licensed engineer.  Live downtown L and 15th since 2005.  Responsibility compact and socio-economically consistent.  Each criteria are p???

My home is Downtown to Spenard to airport.  Does include 3 current house Democrats.  Another problem  Excess population numbers those residents have less representative .  Also need to see what Senators you intend so we can comment on that.  

Felisa Wilson -  Ret Airforce, Live on JBER, since 2015.  JBER is divided into specific areas around the gates.  Most at Ft Rich side socio-economically  Govt Hill is a different community

Rosa O’Hara-Jolley Fairbanks.  Teacher  Listened to board and like your words, but action doesn’t reflect your words.  Created areas where voters underrepresented.  Decision to go E-W from N-S does not represent how FB people see themselves.  Which transfer sites you live - two named East and West.  Transfer station 45 minutes away from community.  Thank you.

Michele Anderson, Anchorage - Thank you.  Original shareholder and president of Ahtna and naive village of Gulkana.  Interior Coalition and Sealaska created maps to insure Alaska native representation.  Ahtna appreciates being included and support the maps.  We’d like the interior villages to stay together.  

Online Karen Baker from Anchorage - Fairview former res of FB.  Strong opposition to these maps  - particularly Interior and SE.  Current gerrymander form attempt to favor certain candidates.  We have a right to fair and accurate representation.

Leon James from Anchorage online: Anchorage area, compared portions of Anchorage and Matsu Borough not a similar socio-economic Borough.  District 18 over population target, by growing to NE and north and Boniface and NE community council area.  Russian Jack community council area.  Boniface different.  North of Debarr as well.  Splitting up University area.

Nicole:  Looking at east side, east to west or north to south?  Along Seward HW and along Boniface.  Probably south of Tudor gets tricky.  

Online, Emily Becker - in Airport Heights, currently D19 specific comments   hard to hear her.  Better.  Close to Merrill Field.  My neighborhood and sense of the maps.  Ver 1 map puts elementary into D 18, while 70% of families in D20.  Title 1 school many kids in poverty.  Need a clear voice.  Despite apolitical both seems nakedly political.  Fairview and Mt. View low income neighborhoods sliced and diced.  

Online Constance Quinley   - I’m in my 60is grey haired woman.  Live in Anchorage for 36 years.  Parts of Ancho and Matsu combined.  Neighbors but different communities.  ER is part of Anchorage, different culturally, economically.  ER and east Anchorage not compatible.  

Casey Casort - online shocked and disappointed with clearly gerrymandered chart.  Hard for me to understand.  

Nicole:  reference map and you’re breaking up.  AFFR map should be looked at closely.  

Melanie:  mentioned maps around someone’s house, but you broke up.  Andy Story in Juneau.

Will Muldoon, Juneau - Dis 33, The Story bubble, deputy director no partisan data in the software.  Every one had problems.  I can’t speak much to north, but SE.  Yakutat Idea tough.  When you deviate, east west   or north south.  Creating not very compact districts.  Other side of coin on inside.  Not too critical yet. ???

Nicole:  Hear your criticism.  Solutions?  Appreciate questions.  2010 runaround and 2013 Proclamation plan.  Had lower ceiling for deviation.  Higher is great.  Each dis and looked at their deviation as absolute and then as percentage.  Currently from Board Ket-Kodiak in 2010, neither adopted.  

Cathy Hosford, Skagway,  Last ten years rep by downtown Juneau.  More in common with north Juneau and auk Bay and N. Linn canal.  Often wondered why.  Better to be compacted, share concerns ferries, roads.  Appreciate your hard work.  

Nicole:  One area of SE caused us to ponder.  Understand you down’t want to be with downtown.  Then your version of Juneau Split.  Easy to draw us into what is now 34 and make Juneau and Douglas into a district.  My current rep trying to do great job but they don’t know my issues.  

James Squyres from Gulkana - current Dist 9 my Aug 24 testimony.  Now included Holy Cross this strange district 36.  Difference between North and South of Alaska range.  Diff between rural Alaska and urban Alaska.  Delta For Greely.  Military presence 

Melanie:  Which map   Under my name James Squires, meets goal of 18K per district.  

Bethany:  Thank you Mr Squires - did you make a statewide map.  Yes, but focused on districts around me. 

Beverly Churchill Anchorage online:  Thank you.  Thanks for hard work.  Jumping in late and trying to catch up.  Reiterate points already made.  Anchorage MUNI combined with Matsu - these are very distinct community.  Comments that they are socially economically integrated.  Have own health care, school districts, etc. Also reiterate Anchorage folks - community councils divided by neighborhoods..  Finally ER, is becoming more and more distinctly their own community.  People there want to exit for MOA.  Shouldn’t lump with East Anchorage.  

9:57am

Online:  Jamie Rodriquez - Anchorage, address elephant in the room - gerrymandering.  Looking at the map, lots of gerrymandering some examples.  1.  Juneau, N map 1/4 of mile cut out that district’s rep.  Reason for concern.    2.  Ketchikan, similar since another double up representation 3.  In Anchorage, in second versions takes away to little precincts replaces with one, totally throwing it out of balance.  4.  3 reps in one district.  More examples.  One group wants to subvert our voting process.  You talk about preventing it.  Please do that.  We have to live with this for ten years.  Thank you.

Online Lynette Pham - Anchorage - Lived moved from Unalaska???.  Dis 21.  East Anchor and ER are distinct communities.  Takes away voices from both ER and East Anchorage.  …..

Holy Cross and Valdez in same district makes no sense.  

Gretchen Whemhoff from Chugiak - so many different maps.  Looking at composite 2 Dis 22,23, 24.  I’ve run for office.  Had to go to Fairview, Valley.  Going in right direction by separating MOA from Matsu.  Redistricting Alaska from other states, but this map, keeping those two large populations, very distinct separate.  Another on right track, in Dis 22, now more of similar Chugiak, Eklutna, more in common that downtown ER or the Valley.  Heard another speaker say this - if we do have that corner in NE like Anchorage has NE corner.  Should be able to separate NE Anchorage and ER.  NE Anchorage would be better served.  Former 12 had Valley and Chugiak - had to drive a long way.  But appreciate trying to map all this.  Two highly populated areas with separate govts should be kept separate.  Everything you do, it’s a domino thing.  

10:09

Kay Herold - Seward?  

Anchorage Judith Conte - Anchorage - Spenard.  Since 2003.  Redistricting maps supposed to be non-partisan ways.  I heard someone say apolitical and how maps were drawn that way.  That has not been the case in these districts.  Merged into one district spenard, downtown, all distinct and benefited by independent representation.  In testimony should merge Anchorage and Matsu, it points to gerrymandering attempt.  Differences between Matsu and Anchorage.  It adversely attack House dems and protects minority GOP,  Disregards community councils.  Integrity.  

Tara Lucas from ?  

Lee Drake from FB -  Lee Drake - respond to comments by Robin O’Donohugh - about norther districts and UA.  All have offices in LIO in FB.  Where you see your rep.  People in NPole.  No one cares about a daily commute, but now they complain about a drive once or twice a year.  Families live on Chena ridge, but being in house district problematic.  Eilson - talking very fast can’t keep up.  UAF and Dept of Defense - economic integration.  Goldstream and !! Have history of mining .  I support the current map of FB as shown on the website.

Nicole:  I apologize can you please email your testimony?  We got some info.  

Melanie:  Reference comments by Robin O’Donohue.  

John:  He testified last time.  [O’Donohue is part of AFFR and made video to educate people about redistricting.]

Anchorage online- Forrest McDonald  Start - Board has impossible task, lots of places tied into 40 districts.  I can see how you’re doing this so far and doing a good job.  Maps won’t look like they used too.  Do have problem with Downtown progressive district split into 3 parts from Muldoon to Kincaid - looks a little partisan,  Smell test.  Overall good job.  I’m partisan political person,  Recognize so many names that called.  In.  Board selected for board.  Call in have been coached by extremely partisan - AFFR, AKPirg, Native Groups.  Coaching people to say things in calls and then sue and refer.  Outside our public policy.  Take effort to prevent extreme public partisan groups.  

Donna Marsh  Petersburg

Juneau David Hanna - Thanks None of us envy you.  Doing best you can.  Boundary between district 3 and 4.  Take to heart Kathy Ho//  about Linn canal area.  I asked downtown Juneau rep and asked about ferry and the downtown rep was silent.  Still angst about where the lines were drawn.  Should take heart she would win.  Looks like followed basic population center.  

FBKs  Elizabeth Dalton - Lived here all my life.  In complete support.  Beautifully done.  All incumbents in their district.  We’ve lost population.  Including rep in Matsu that has has big growth.  Agree with fellow about coaching of the testimony from certain groups that want to gerrymander.  You on the board have taken an oath and I appreciate hard work you do and believe you are following he rules.  

Anchorage, David Nees - Rep myself.  Wanted to testify.  In favor of #2.  1990-2000, 2010 and overlaid them on what you have.  Community Council model still based on 1970 to advise Assembly.  Outdated.  Map following rules, excellent jobs.  Much less political than in 1990s.  One outlier, since 1990 to 2010 and 2020.  That should give you a range.  If stay within that mean.  A good test that you are meeting the anti-gerrymandering.  Doesn’t look like any gerrymandering.  Second one looks the best.  

Rep. Garan Tarr, in Juneau?  Not there

Robert Hoekema Anchorage - Gerrymandering - pairing incumbents together.  Claman, Drummond, and Field.  Tuck majority leader.  First version pairs Snyder and Sponhollz.  Don’t care too much, population.  Makes the districts much less.  U-Med district into Campbell area.  Balance between hard job and partisan outcome.  Hard to believe this was not partisan.  Forcing House majority to run against each other.  

10:33

Garan Tarr back on line:  Good morning.  Thank you.  As sitting leg. Not appropriate on the map.  First testimony since map came out.  How can we do testimony outside of work hours.  Can’t because meeting during work hours.  Evening testimony would be beneficial.  All I wanted to say.  Thanks for your hard work.  

John:  Just beginning.  Getting public testimony.  Third party presentations.  

Concludes online.  Still have some in the room.

??? Silvers here.  Dara Silvers??  My own.  Process of mapping Anchorage.  Two compact and socio-economic where people live shop,  Anchorage maps done pretty blindly with little info of how made.  Lack of compactness and was uniquely protecting republicans.  Map 1 has east anchorage shaped like a pin-wheel and split into other districts.  Everyone who knows East Anchorage distinct, older, seedy strip malls, and dive bars.  Lifelong Alaskan whose live in many parts of Anchorage.  East Anchorage is a close knit district.  Was  specifically designed for Lance Pruitt to make a comeback.  May not be by design.  Would like to point to Chantsu park with ice rink, and Saturday market - ripped out of East Anchorage and put into ER.  

Back online Donna Marsh from Petersburg - urge board to consider how map figured most contiguous, Econ-integrated  A large star has so many  diverse populations.  Respect your effort.  But created redistricting that adversely affect ?????  Especially SE.  

Budd:  Seek clarity.  See Petersburg joined with Sitka, Ketchikan?  Ketch and Juneau probably more aligned with Sitka.  Hard to make everyone happy.  Can go lots of ways.  Why reinventing the wheel.  

Robin Smith Anchorage - thank board for opportunity to speak.  Tried to follow.  I understand it’s very difficult considering the size of AK  and.  We don’t see the Senate districts.  Woefully incomplete.  Failed to respect Borough and city boundaries - Anchorage Matsu FB.  Appears to be gerrymandering in the nao,  New FB city center map not drawn historically now N-S districts.  UA has Dem Senator and two Dem reps.  Would result in total Republican in FB.  

Nicole:  If public info I have no idea where legislators live except my own representative.  

Robin:  It really looks like it .  Hard to … May not be intentional but it appears to be.  How it looks to the average person.  

Nicole:  Want to go on record, this is not something we did intentionally.  

Bruce Farmwell:  thanks for the hard work.  Some of us have taken time to tell you what we perceive as problems.  First I heard that coaching was available .  Couldn’t  get it.  Thoughts on big picture.  I’ve lived for 40 years in AK and my district 20 years.  Changes probematic.  Lots of 3rd party maps.  Draft of Constitution tried to be fair.  Lots of processes put in place for succession of leadership.  Designed this process and did best they could.  But four out of five of you appointed by leaders of a political party.  And hard not to think of yourselves that way.  Most Alaskans like me are not members of the two parties.  If completely non-partisan board without party members involved.  Think of that and try to map it that way.  

Drew   Had to leave

Brian Hoek?? - West Anchorage - Can dive into the weeds a bit at this point.  Turnagain Area can be defined another of ways.  Area west, both sides of NLights, particularly the south side.  Much more connected to airport than down.  Adding us to downtown.  Lots of testimony.  More  than anticipated.  

New caller Ellen James -  In Anchorage in Hist district 17,  in both maps several districts are split up.  Encourage follow community council boundaries as much as possible. 2 point:  version one map.  Didn’t ????? East Anchorage.  Didn’t make sense.  I appreciate it’s hard.  

Concludes Public testimony.  Take ten minute break

10:59

Nicole:  Maybe five minutes and get on track. Back at 11:05

11:05  Doyon Coalition presentation Tenana Chiefs Conference, Fairbanks Native Association, Sealaska, Ahtna.  See presentation at:  https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129694

Worked with constitutional guidelines - compact, contiguity Relative Socio-Economic integrity and Equal. 

We added Local government boundaries.  ANCSA Boundaries, Communities of interest

Population   total 6.1 %  620 people fewer than ideal.  District 37 completely off the road system and 

600? Over 

Tanner :  Statewide map and further note on deviations.  Some deviation is inevitable.  Geography is enormous and census blocks odd.  Doesn’t mean that deviation amount should be allowed in a different district.  We want lowest deviation practicable.  Munis and Burrooughs compacter.  Big Deviations concentrated in rural area.  

Tour through Alaska.

SE:  Our plan keeps Ketchikan whole but Board plan split Ketchikan.  Also kept islands whole

City and B or Ketchikan and 

District 2 is Island District - prince of Wales and Burroughs of Yakitata

Juneau itself.  Urban District - Auk Bay and Valley from Lemon Creek.  Haines and Skagway - we heard same testimony you heard and will look at it.

Downtown - some people say easy to draw district - but either splits Mendenhall and or Auk Bay

Given members of coalition jump straight into interior but should stop in S Central - but we have concerns about whether Valdez does fit with the interior areas.  Different boroughs, 

Others have paired with Cordova. 

How did we solve this.  Put Valdez with Chenega and Cordova.  But too much population to add Kodiak.  Ours keeps Valdez along the highway, but ???? 

Kenai Pen has more population than number of districts.  Allowed Kenai to be paired with Kodiak itself.  Rest is traigh????

McHugh Creek natural break from S. Anchorage

Nicole:  You have Kodiak with part of Kenai - just Seward?  Rationale?

Maritime coastal community.  Helps with issue of population of Kenai needing to go outside.

Nicole:  Why not take in Home with that direct ferry connection

Tanner:  To do that harder to create socio-economic because Homer has too much population

John:  Seldovia not in same district as Homer?  Correct.

Nicole:  I don’t have the Valdez page.  Can you go back to Valdez.

Tanner:  district here that keeps all the Sound communities together.  Not in Richardson Highway that goes to Delta.  No longer that far north.  

John:  Are Valdez and Copper center in same districts?

Tanner:  No.  

Matt:  On Valdez, your thinking about socio-economic between Cordova and Sutton.  Also about Seward to Kodiak is continuous and skipping over Kachemak Bay.

Tanner:  Contiguity.  Simply artifact of software.  Kodiak is an island, over water contiguity.  Are limits.  Probably couldn’t connect Kodiak and North Slope.  Socio-E integration.  There have to be tradeoffs as you go.  Looking for the best places.  Right now Valdez inBoard’s plan socio-economically integrated with Interior.  Better in our map with water.  In comparison to other alternatives.  

John:  You’d have to drive thru district 36 to get there?  Thru the hub.

Presenter:  Includes every district in Ahtna region.  We recognize FB as our hub.  Worked fromWest to east

Fairbanks- see map - House 33 Ft Wainright and off base housing tied to east side hopping and work downtown, go to HS.

34 Also Eilson and area around the base

35 - College, UAF 

John:  Chose to break up FBNS borough to put in interior district.  Deviation more important than Borough boundaries.  Make sure FB retains one person one vote.    We heard from our council that deviation within those larger areas where deviations are important.

With respect.  To have their one person with less than one vote, plus with Matsu having theirs less than one person one vote.  People don’t necessarily feel tied to B. Feel closer to road .  Communities that don’t elect to have fire service even though they are in the Borough.  

HD 40 identical toBoard map

39 close to old 39

38 - hub Bethel

37 very similar without the Athabaskan interior villages.

Nicole:  I know you’re a coalition, did you consult with others in this district?

?? :  Multiple conversations with Calista.  They are aware our goal was to pull the Athabaskan communities together.

Anchorage - board has 3.89 3.57  ours has deviation of about 1%  - following 2010 court rulings. Deviations are artifacts of ?land? Or census block.  Also considers the Base exits and connects with communities outside those gates.

ER are

Matsu has 5.84

27 Glen Highway and Richardson Hwy districts.  Includes Denali Borough w/o Cantwell

We submit for consideration.  

11:39

John:  Denali Borough with Matsu w/o Cantwell.  Part of Ahtna community of villages.  

Marcum:  Kept Palmer whole?  Yes. Thank you

Matt:  Port Graham and Seldovia with Aleutians.  Another question, blocked off Girdwood and joined it with northern side of Penninsula.  

Tanner:  Seldovia:  See deviation - under 3%. Issue board and everyone runs into in SW Alaska.  If put the border here, under deviated and goes up the coast with other SE integration issues.  These areas also strong maritime areas.  

Tradeoff between S Anchorage - what was your thinking. A:  Straight tradeoff?  Pops don’t come out the same.  Mathematical problem.  Map Seward with Kodiak.  Then too much pop in Kenai for borders of Borough.  One has to crsss the Boarder.  There’s a highway that connects these areas.  Population realities.  

?????:  Rural communities have been using ?? To make Boroughs look good.  Don’t want it to fly in face of common sense.

Nicole:  Is Bethel in 37 or 38?   A:  38

Bethany:  Looking at Shake file - Palmer split into two districts.

Tanner:  We had some issues about whether our shake files matched.  We’ll get you updated version.

11:48 John:  Next group?  Lunch is here and we should take a break.  30 minutes?  Melanie says 15 - back 12:05

12:09  Back on Board - “Alaska Democrat Party” (not Democratic though that’s what it says on their material)

Mike Wentrop - Alaska Democratic Party Director and ???   :  Reading from materials.  https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129695

Questions?

John:  Respected boundaries of B and cities - sounded like you said ok to break them, but only do it once?   Mike:  yes.

Eilson AF Base and population will grow.  Did you speculate on how it will grow?

No, but we considered it.

Bethany?  Thank you:  As far as 3rd party presenter.  Only 3rd party with a political affiliation, did you use political data?  Aware, but didn’t use. 

Nicole:  Can you elaborate on what you said about more population coming to Eilson.

???:  Didn’t want an overpopulated district, but we also didn’t underpopulated that district.  Unfair to inflate a population based on speculation

Attorney:  US census is only population you can consider. 

Budd:  Downtown Juneau goes down to Petersburg.  Are you going to walk thru the maps?  

Erin:  Making B and city lines were possible and natural geography.  

Follows Yakutat B?  Correct.  Doesn’t include Cordova?  Correct.

Combined Kodiak, but not all the way to Valdez.  Kachemak Bay and Seldovia?  Is that a borough all the way to Halibut Cove?    That’s my recollection.

With eye to Senate pairings Kenai and respecting community lines.  Town lines afford that

16 Anchorage districts.  Contained ER as much as possible.  Two NE Anchorage districts structured around ???. Two similar to 16 and 27.  Westward trying to follow major streets and arteries, with understanding that population and census blocks vary.  S Anchorage including Girdwood and Whittier.  

Matsu Borough - Community, Town lines, other community lines as possible

Large Borough

John:  District 6 - out Glenn Highway to Butte and Knik and Denali a  into S Fairbanks.  Into S area census district - outside of the Borough.  Like Delta Junction.  

John:  Dot Lake and Tok, but not Tanacross?  Correct.  

Trying to respect community of North Pole as best we could.  And district along the outside.  Breaks Borough in two areas?  Follows B boundaries except.

John:  Between Delta and Eilson?   I don’t see the numbers so hard to describe.  Part in blue, part in green,  

Mike:  We break the borough only once.  Population and pairing senate seats.  

Bluish, goes around and to Valdez and villages.  All villages in Inerior River district?  Kaltag with Unalakleet?  Population.  

Bethel - 39  shaped around Bethel and  - odd cutout based on census boundary and not much population.

Melanie - in this area looks like a couple of B breaks Dillingham, four different areas?  Correct?  Yes.

Erin:  Goal was to provide as much possible without deviating more than we did.  

John:  What’s this appendage?  Census block.  

Quinihak, Good News, and Platinum with Aleutians?  Yes.

Melanie:  Share this with anyone from this part of the state?  Mike:  Yes mentioned names.

Nicole:  I’m looking at Bethel region and this is splitting them into four different districts.  Mike:  Bethel growing so much. 

Up the coast - currently 39 and 40.  Can easily draw districts self contained.  But because we started at Bethel and Hooper Bay.  

John:  So Buckling and Deering are in ?  Instead of.  

12:42 finished

AFFER:  

????:  Thank you for taking all this time to volunteer to do this.

I’m Steve Culligan.  Lifelong Alaskan.  Grew up in Fairbanks.  Work for MOA now.  This technology took up a whole room.  Alaskans helped develop this technology.  You can torture data enough.  Data used to support different redistricting to deal with rural districts with 100s of miles isn’t easy.  Today, we can improve our own maps.  This is a process.  Senate pairings.  

Myself and Randy Ruedrich.  AFFER  Fair doesn’t always mean equitable.  This map is 3.36 statewide deviation.  

In packet we’ve got entire deviation.  I will mention any public - also have online map and loaded all the others online.  Some great ideas.  https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129696

Courts have found that a Borough meets that socio-economic integration.  There are no other needs to consider for SE integration.

Populations as near as possible to division of population by 40.  Tested in 2000.  Many approaching -5.  The SC instructed the Board to redo 37 of 40 districts.  If you have census block of similar size.  Larger deviations in rural areas Courts should meet.

SE has a problem.  Has pop deficit like FB.  The rest of the state has pop surplus..  We added like other, Yakutat B.   But can’t get that northern population size right.  Need a long coastal district from north to the south.  One was called an ice worm or maritime region.  This creates a problem every time.  Surplus distributed to rest of state.  Three inside district one.  District 1 and 2 .  District 3 is Juneau to airport.  

Matt:  Looks like you ???  

Randy:  Very specific putting Saxman with strong ties to Sealaska, put it in with rest of marine area???

Budd:  Related question - we tried to draw a similar map.  To get numbers to work, we accidentally left out a road in Ketchikan.  Does this map also do that?  Yes.  I was trimming off everything that isn’t a city street.  ????? If we add it back, its a bigger deviation.  

John:  Saxman more associated with Ketchikan.  The resources look to Sitka for SE integration for Native Groups.  Agree with my Democrat colleagues you can break a boundary once only.

Nicole:  Break 3 o4 4 times? 

Randy:  In western Alaska, using ANCSA boundaries is preferred?

Matt:  I don’t recall what SC decided.  Borughts are ok by definition.  

12:59

Budd: Not sure people in the Saxman area would agree with you.  We’re at 29 with districts within 1%. 

Randy:  We have a unique problem with FB.  SC said in 2011 that FB deserved a Senate Seat.

One is Western FB pop.  The middle has all the rest.  To honor the integrity of the House seat in the city we add North Pole and Eilson.  

It’s hard to keep up.  Sorry.  Doing the best I can.  There will be tapes and transcripts eventually.

Capture all the Northside that have always been in North district.  In 2013 had nearly 8000 more people than could be handled in five districts.  Now it’s 3500.  District 5 wrap around FB and has similar voting interests.  Suggest put Ester and Goldstream.  In District 5 we added Cordova.  Didn’t fit in SE or Kodiak.   Eyak, has Native link

Matt:  Why taking Ester out of FBNS borough.  

Randy:  Have to take out something/  

Matt:  Why Ester.

Randy:  You could take out Eilson because they didn’t vote.  I find that offensive.  They showed 11% voting.  But that was only on election day.  Many were out of state and voted absentee. 

That we must have a closed west side of FB city.  It’s a fortress.  Need to heed SC decision that they deserve a Senate seat.  I just mapped around.  Can minimize that if overpopulate FB.   It would minimize people going to District 5.  Keep all together all those except in the 2013 map put in rural Alaska.  

Matsu - has three small cities - Houston, Wasilla and Palmer.  Six districts.  Anchor those cities in their protected space.  I concur with adding Denali Borough.  But put Cantwell in District 5.  

We should share it across the bridge because of excess population.  Open the door on highway.  

With bridge closed, we have a clear north ER district Chugiak to Meadow Creek.  All civilian district 17.  18 downtown ER and JBER at Muldoon entrance.

Melanie:  Putting ER?  Splitting it only by taking norther neighborhoods.  Precincts ping pong balled from census to census.  Attach it to Muldoon.  Since SC in 2002 said ER could be attached to South Anchorage.  

Anchorage:  CampbellCree between 30 and 28.  Chester Creek between 22 and 25 and ??????

Wonderful road SH split along Huffman, Abbot, Tudor.  Changes on west side of the highway incidental because all slightly underperform.

Airport left in tact.  From Ship Creek Boundary to RR crossing.  Moved Spenard east along Chester Creek and N to Tudor. 

Mountain View is the other half of downtown.  21 goes into Boniface Community.  20 nearly perfect rectangle, we nibbled on the edge of Reflection Lake????  Nibbled on the edge to get enough population Abbot to OMalley.  Shed some population on the south.  The least map mess in my opinion.  

Kenai - skimmed north precinct off Kenai.  Kenai slightly over populated.  Shared Kenai’s surplus population down to Tustemena.  Closed surplus population problem by putting all of Kachemak Bay in one district.  Associated with Homer district, not Kodiak.  Without Yakutat problem was Kodiak.  Combined PWS including Valdez with Kodiak that is a shipping districting  Largest ports - Kodiak and Valdez and left port of Whittier in PWS district.  

1:20

History:  Boundary between Bering straits and Nana adjusted each time.  2001 one recall was Shismareff into 40 to get the population up.  The solution we came up with was.  We have surplus population.  

Put resultant population into 37, not only Platinum and Goodness and Qy]uinahak and ???? Protects population of Calista to bring norther boundaries.  Putting more Calista folks into 39.  Haven’t cured the problem, but have more Calista votes in same district.

Melanie:  Taking NANA region and , but 39 has four different ANCSA corp villages.  

Randy:  Trying to keep down deviation.  

Steve:  These are the impacts in rural entities of trying to keep down the deviation.

John:  Pairing Bethel with Norton Sound rather than Arctic Region.  Are you saying deviation more important than SE integration.  Rather than the hub they associate with.  

Ruedrich:  If you allow more deviation, you just create more problems.  

1:30

https://Arch.is/1ny9TK

Melanie:  Thank you for the presentation and the hard copy you gave us.  

Next:  We have the Matsu Borough  Mike Brown - Matsu Borough Manager.  We’re zoomed in on Matsu Borough.  Highlight key points. See handout.  https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129697

Matt Singer:  Seen plans that pair Matsu with Cordova and Valdez

Mike:  We concentrated on the Borough, but that seems reasonable.  

John:  OK Thank you very much.  

1:37

Next up we have Alaskans for Fair Redistricting AFFR

Robin and David?    Five minute break while you set up.  

1:45PM 

AFFR

John:  Good Afternoon

Robin O’Donahue and David Dunsmuir, also our chair Joelle Hall would like us to read the statement .  Online  https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129719

Robin reading Joelle Hall’s statement.  

We’ve structured this a little different.  Presentation goes with larger report online at ARB site and on our site 

Asked about our membership: Alaska Native Orgs, Labor Unions, Non-Profits  - lists in link.  Said does not mean that they all endorse the plan, but have worked with us.  

I’m going to rest and you can read the links

David Dunsmuir - Areas where significant differences from Board, and also Senate pairings.  

Deviations: 

Board Option 1

9.01%   

AFFR

4.88% for house and Senate 3.2

Our largest house district same as 40 and smallest district in SE.  

Respecting local boundaries - list of broken boundaries comparing Board and AFFR only Borough we break twice is Kenai.  

Melanie:  Did you factor ANCSA boundaries.  We tried Doyon and balance concerns as much as we could.  

Do not include Haines, Skagway or Klukwan with Juneau

See the AFFR handouts

Melanie - What is guidance on Community councils?

Matt Singer - Not SC ruling.  Can be considered.  

Still talking 2:16pm

Bethany:  Could you zoom in on Aleutians district?  Where you jumped down.  District 37.  Alaska Peninsula in District 5?  

2:19pm

Melanie - I will be leaving at 2:30 but will watch 

Sen Begich online - I’m on the road, so I hope link is ok https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129699

https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=129699

Greatest number of individual voter protection - Example of how this could be done.  3.14% deviation.  Able to get to that, is by moving Deering into 39 to 40.  If you leave NW Borough intact it would be 4.77.  Senate and House seats identical .  If removed, Senate 2.94.  Meets or exceeds deviation standards set by courts.  

Only going beyond boroughs to to deal with deviance. 

Based on findings in Hickle, only 5 districts in FB would probably lead to litigation.  

Even with odd census blocks and States size etc.  this map shows with current technology, urban areas relatively compact and equal districts can be drawn.  .35% with most of the districts.  

Finally, Senate pairings numerically.  

Can’t review Board maps because not sure about senate pairings.  

Anticipates process will continue and you can incorporate in your future maps.  Over time, court has tightened requirements and with improved technology we have, this is likely to continue.  Should 

2:29

John:  Not endorsed by the caucus and request go forward with public process

Begich:  We didn’t want to put finger on the scale and say you should do this, but we wanted to offer a map that would show that the various criteria could be met at the highest standard.  Do I endorse it?  Sure.  But does it protect my district?  Destroys it.  (did I understand that right?)

Members of caucus have reviewed it and agree, but choice not to endorse because we don’t want political persons to - 

TJ= proposed district 6 - Cordova is included in District 6 including it with Interior.

Begich:  You have to consider map as a whole.  In the past it has been with Intrior, reprinted by Rep Lincoln. Cordova part of unorganized Borough as it has and upheld by courts in the past.  Way to make clean break with  SE .  We need additional pop for Interior.  Best way to incorporate most of Doyon villages in District 6.  

John:  I see significant number of Doyon villages not in District 6.  

If we do include it as 3rd Party map, do we call it Minority Caucus?  

Begich:  Yes

Next on agenda:  

Begich wanted more time  OK Map is up

By regions - my 1-5    FB deviation of .11   North Pole, Individual house districts from 1-6

Matsu B broken once  12 adds  has two full senate seats  dev. .25

Anchorage to Whittier - 

borough has excess and is shared with Anchorage  

Losing track here.

John asking about SE

Tom  Begich still talking 2:52pm

John:  In MOA 16 seats.  Total MOA population divided by 16 in MOA.  Within those boundaries you can get it much tighter.  

John:  One more if you could:  Senate Pairings?  

Begich:  Sure I can.  1 and 2, 3 and 4 in sequence.  

2:56

Public Testimony:  Steve Aufrecht

Online- Karen Concern about representation for people in the unorganized boroughs,

Thanks for the opportunity .  I’ll be praying for you.

Major Felisa Wilson - thanks for being conscientious and taking everyone seriously and trying to get to what the public wants.  

Concludes public testimony 3:03

Public Hearings and Outreach 

Then plan for Monday

Peter:  We are entering public hearing tour.  Monday Sept 20 at 9am.  Board will discuss the 3rd party maps and changes to proposed maps.  Then visit communities around the state, launch that Sept 27th, traveling the state.  Still talking with Board members and COVID restrictions.  Generally 2 board members and a staffer in smaller communities.  Have them after working hours.  In some places over noon because of flight schedules.  We intend to visit 10-13 places.

Monday.

Bethany:  For people who made public testimony, if you can provide written testimony

Peter:  Every comment coming in I grab and add it to data base so it’s key word searchable.  

John:  A lot to digest in short period of time.  Not sure I can absorb it all and make decisions by Monday.  We may want to take more time.  Should meet Monday, but I don’t want to be rushed.  

Nicole:  I second that.  The public response has been much more than I expected.  We need more time than Monday to go through the feedback.  

Budd:  I agree.  I was impressed with the quality and itemizations and alternative maps from the public.  Much of that information we will want to use and incorporate somehow.  When we start tinkering with one district it causes issues.  

Consensus, for expectations from public.  We’ll work on Monday.  May not have final maps for taking on the road yet.  3rd party folks, that would be helpful.  See how it goes Monday and see if we need to meet again.  

Nicole:  We’ll work hard over the weekend with staff.  May adoptMonday but we might need more time.  Try, but not lock ourselves in.

Budd:  How will we proceed Monday.  Screens.  Giant printer in the office.  

John:  Start with our maps and talk about changes from what others had.  

Bethany:  Another consideration for Monday.  I do have questions from attorneys.  Have clear understanding.  

John:  May need executive session about areas we need to be cautious about. 

Budd:  Important to get public testimony.  Probably limit time for public testimony.  Or we won’t get this done.

John:  Delicate balance.  Slows us down, but important.  Public was good, kept testimony short, but voluminous.  I thought good process today.  

Peter:  Marathon of outreach.  Caution members to take time to deliberate.  We do need some conclusions by Sept 27.  If Board needs more time, we’ll adjust.  But we have a five week window.  

9am Monday morning.

Nicole:  Not 9:30?

John:  laugh 9:00

Ok motion to adjourn?  3:17pm  adjourned