Colorado Reapportionment Commission (07/11/2011)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COLORADO REAPPORTIONMENT COMMISSION

Date:	07/11/2011	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:09 AM to 04:27 PM	Atencio	*
		Berry	X
Place:	SupCt	Carroll	X
		Jones	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Loevy	X
	Mario Carrera	Nicolais	X
		Salazar	X
This Report was prepared by		Tool	X
	Jessika Shipley	Witwer	X
		Webb	X
		Carrera	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Report on Retention of Counsel Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5 Public Testimony for Region 6 Public Testimony for Region 7		Commission Discussion Commission Discussion and Approval of Plans Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only

Note: This meeting summary is not an official record of the commission or of the meeting. It is not intended to serve as a transcript or minutes of the commission meeting. The audio recording of the meeting is the official record of the meeting. This summary may be used as a guide to the audio recording. To access the audio recording of a commission meeting, visit the Colorado Joint Legislative Library located in the State Capitol, Room 048 (basement/ground floor level). You will need to note the date, time, and location of the meeting to access the audio recording. Copies of the audio recordings may be obtained at the library if you bring with you blank, recordable compact discs or a flash drive. Librarians are on site and available to assist you with accessing an audio recording.

09:10 AM -- Report on Retention of Counsel

The meeting was called to order. Commissioner Carrera invited Commissioner Nicolais to provide an update on the commission's retention of outside counsel. Commissioner Nicolais reported that the subcommittee tasked with retaining counsel requires another week to make a final decision. He explained the additional information needed by the subcommittee before it can make such a decision.

09:12 AM -- Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5

Commissioner Tool began the review of proposed Senate plans for Region 5 with a detailed explanation of S5001v1 (Attachment A). He discussed the political competitiveness of his proposed Senate plan.

09:18 AM

Commissioner Salazar discussed his proposed Senate plan, S5002v1 (Attachment B). He talked about the Hispanic population in his plan. He commented about areas left out of his map.

09:22 AM

Troy Bratton, representing the Reapportionment Commission staff, spoke about proposed Senate plan S5003v1 (Attachment C). He responded to questions from the commission about why the staff map goes in to the city and county of Broomfield. Commissioner Salazar discussed the reason that he chose not to go into Broomfield in his plan. Commissioner Salazar responded to questions from the commission about his choices for Elbert County. He stated his intent to leave Elbert County out of his plan in the absence of additional public testimony.

09:29 AM

The commission continued to discuss the inclusion of Elbert County in S5001v1 and S5003v1. Mr. Bratton explained the differences between the two maps. Commissioner Tool explained his choices. Discussion ensued about the relative merits of the various proposed maps.

BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5
TIME:	09:45:22 AM
MOVED:	Tool
MOTION:	SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Adopt proposed Senate plan S5001v1 (Attachment A). The commission continued to discuss the proposed maps at length. The substitute motion failed on a vote of 5-6.
SECONDED:	Berry
		VOTE
	Atencio	No
	Berry	Yes
	Carroll	No
	Jones	No
	Loevy	Yes
	Nicolais	Yes
	Salazar	No
	Tool	Yes
	Witwer	Yes
	Webb	No
	Carrera	No
Final YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5
TIME:	09:47:02 AM
MOVED:	Webb
MOTION:	Adopt proposed Senate plan S5002v1 (Attachment B). The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Salazar
		VOTE
	Atencio	Yes
	Berry	No
	Carroll	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Loevy	No
	Nicolais	No
	Salazar	Yes
	Tool	No
	Witwer	No
	Webb	Yes
	Carrera	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

09:48 AM

Discussion turned to proposed House plans. Commissioner Tool explained H5001v1 (Attachment D).

09:52 AM

Commissioner Berry discussed H5002v1 (Attachment E).

09:56 AM

Commissioner Salazar spoke about H5003v1 (Attachment F).

10:01 AM

Bo Pogue, representing the Colorado Reapportionment Commission staff, presented H5004v1 (Attachment G). He spoke about his reasons for only including seven House districts in Region 5.

10:04 AM

Commissioner Atencio presented H5006v1 (Attachment H). She explained the differences between her proposal and H5003v1.

10:06 AM

Commissioner Berry spoke about the differences between H5002v1 and H5002v2 (Attachment I). Commissioner Berry responded to questions from the commission about her decision-making process. Discussion ensued about the split of Fort Collins and the inclusion of Grand and Jackson counties with Larimer County.

10:12 AM

Commissioner Atencio continued to explain H5006v1. She highlighted the differences between H5006v1 and H5002v1. Commissioner Carroll commented about the political affiliation of registered voters in Weld County. Discussion ensued about the voting history in Region 5.

10:18 AM

Commissioner Atencio turned back to H5006v1, focusing on the ethnic summary of the House districts. Commissioner Witwer asked for information about racial block voting in Weld County.

10:20 AM

Jeremiah Barry, Colorado Reapportionment Commission staff director, came to the table to respond to questions from the commission about racial block voting analyses that have been done in the past concerning Weld County. Discussion ensued about ethnic and political considerations in Region 5.

10:26 AM

Commissioner Nicolais expressed concern about leaving areas of the state unassigned until a later date. Commissioner Berry stated her willingness to remove House District 33 from her map for the time being. Commissioner Atencio talked about her reason for leaving Grand County out of her map and about her Fort Collins split. Discussion ensued about the political competitiveness in the various proposed maps.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5
TIME:	10:34:31 AM
MOVED:	Berry
MOTION:	Amend H5002v2 to make the Larimer, Jackson, Grand county portions the same as H5001v1, and to delete the Broomfield portion of H5002v2. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Tool
		VOTE
	Atencio	Yes
	Berry	Yes
	Carroll	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Loevy	Yes
	Nicolais	Yes
	Salazar	Yes
	Tool	Yes
	Witwer	Yes
	Webb	Yes
	Carrera	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:43 AM

The commission engaged in a lengthy discussion of county and city splits in the proposed plans.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5
TIME:	10:50:44 AM
MOVED:	Witwer
MOTION:	Adopt H5002v2 (Attachment I), as amended in an earlier motion. No vote was taken on the motion.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Atencio
	Berry
	Carroll
	Jones
	Loevy
	Nicolais
	Salazar
	Tool
	Witwer
	Webb
	Carrera

Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5
TIME:	10:51:12 AM
MOVED:	Carroll
MOTION:	SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Adopt H5003v1 (Attachment F). The substitute motion failed on a vote of 3-8.
SECONDED:	Salazar
		VOTE
	Atencio	No
	Berry	No
	Carroll	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Loevy	No
	Nicolais	No
	Salazar	Yes
	Tool	No
	Witwer	No
	Webb	No
	Carrera	No

Final YES: 3 NO: 8 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 5
TIME:	10:52:40 AM
MOVED:	Webb
MOTION:	Adopt H5006v1 (Attachment H). The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Atencio
		VOTE
	Atencio	Yes
	Berry	No
	Carroll	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Loevy	No
	Nicolais	No
	Salazar	Yes
	Tool	No
	Witwer	No
	Webb	Yes
	Carrera	Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:55 AM

The commission recessed.

11:02 AM -- Public Testimony for Region 6

Commission recommenced. Commissioner Carerra addressed the audience and explained the process of providing public input.

The following individuals testified:

11:08 AM -- Mark Oesterrich-Miller, representing himself, stated his opinion that the current House district in Broomfield is competitive. Mr. Oesterrich-Miller spoke about his background in local politics and discussed the interests of the residents of Broomfield.

11:11 AM -- Robert McVay, representing Grand County, reiterated the opinion he stated at an earlier hearing that Grand County does not belong in a district with the Front Range. Mr. McVay listed a number of reasons that Grand County interests belong with mountain communities. He responded to questions from the commission about his preferences.

11:16 AM -- Dan Gould, representing himself, commented that western Boulder County has a great deal in common with the interests of Grand County. Mr. Gould listed a number of similarities between the two counties. He advocated the coupling of Boulder and Grand county. He responded to questions from the commission.

11:28 AM -- David Ruchman, representing himself, spoke about the need to maintain a community of interest in central Jefferson County. Mr. Ruchman discussed his experience as a Lakewood resident. He asked the commission to draw two Senate districts that include Lakewood in such a way that it does not disappear among other interests in the metro Denver area. He discussed the future construction of a light rail line into Lakewood. Mr. Ruchman responded to questions from the commission.

11:40 AM -- Tom Mehling, representing himself, spoke about communities of interest in western and southwestern Broomfield county. Mr. Mehling discussed his experience as a Broomfield resident. He talked about growth patterns in Broomfield and in the counties surrounding it.

11:43 AM -- Larry Schulz, representing himself, asked that Wheat Ridge remain in the districts in which it is currently contained. Mr. Schulz spoke about the high concentration of senior citizens in Wheat Ridge.

11:44 AM -- Jim Everson, representing himself, spoke about his experience as a resident of southern Jefferson County. Mr. Everson discussed his background with the county assessor's office in Jefferson County. He spoke about logical geographical divisions within Jefferson County and the communities of interests within those geographical areas.

11:48 AM -- Representative Jim Kerr, representing himself, discussed his experience as a resident of House District 28. Representative Kerr expressed his opinion that the district works very well and should not be changed. In response to questions from the commission, he spoke about mountain communities of interest.

11:52 AM -- Mayor Bob Murphy, representing the City of Lakewood, spoke about the various communities of interest in Lakewood. Mayor Murphy asked that two Senate districts be formed in the city of Lakewood in such a way that the whole population is adequately represented and not disenfranchised. He responded to questions from the commission about the demographics of the population of Lakewood.

11:59 AM -- Loren Bauman, representing himself, discussed various school shootings in House District 28 and commented that the community has bonded together in the face of those tragedies. Mr. Bauman expressed his opinion that altering the makeup of House District 28 would be detrimental to the community.

12:02 PM -- Mary Janssen, representing herself, spoke about communities of interest in south Jefferson County. Ms. Janssen distributed a map of the area (Attachment J). She referred to the map extensively and responded to questions from the commission about her community.

12:05 PM -- Jerry Roach, representing himself, expressed his opinion that Senate District 20 should be extended to include portions of Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, if necessary. Mr. Roach also commented that the interests of the residents of Park County also coincide with those of Jefferson County.

12:07 PM -- Cheryl Cheney, representing herself, stated her opinion that the city of Arvada and the portions of the city of Westminster that are in Jefferson County create a community of interest. Ms. Cheney indicated that western Arvada does not belong with eastern and Old Town Arvada. She read a letter from Jacquelyn Neill, an Arvada resident (Attachment K).

12:12 PM -- Gary Fornander, representing Colorado Common Cause, spoke about the core values of Colorado Common Cause. Mr. Fornander read a statement about the redistricting process. He advocated maintaining communities of interest and cautioned against packing minority voters into any one district in order to dilute their vote. He asked the commission to create competitive districts whenever possible. He responded to questions from the commission.

12:18 PM -- Carrie Makenna, representing herself, read a letter from Shane Nicholson, a resident of Wheat Ridge (Attachment L). Ms. MaKenna spoke about her experience as a resident of Lakewood.

12:22 PM -- Joseph Hein, representing the Republican Party in House District 33, stated that his district includes portions of four separate counties. Mr. Hein discussed the need to reduce the population in House District 33. He spoke about the communities of interest in his district. He implored the commission to keep Broomfield whole in the redistricting process. He commented that unaffiliated voters in House District 33 outnumber both Republicans and Democrats.

12:29 PM -- Melinda Yale, representing herself, asked the commission to keep Longmont whole in a House district. Ms. Yale expressed her opinion that Longmont voters feel their votes do not count when it is included with Boulder.

12:31 PM -- Vuka Mitchell, representing herself, read a prepared statement (Attachment M). Ms. Mitchell responded to questions from the commission.

12:33 PM -- Marilee Nolte, representing herself, distributed copies of her written testimony (Attachment N).

12:34 PM -- Les Canges, representing himself, spoke about his experience as a resident of Jefferson County. Mr. Canges distributed a letter from his daughter, Kathryn Canges Wallace (Attachment O).

12:36 PM -- Jeff Ilseman, representing himself, discussed his experience as a resident of Longmont. Mr. Ilseman expressed his opinion that he represents the disenfranchised voters of Longmont. He asked that Longmont be kept whole. He submitted a personal statement and a letter from the Longmont Chamber of Commerce (Attachment P).

12:38 PM -- Walt Engelhardt, representing himself, spoke about his experience as a resident of Longmont. Mr. Engelhardt suggested options for changes involving the city of Longmont and the rural areas surrounding it. He provided these suggestions in writing (Attachment Q).

12:47 PM -- Sue Marinelli, representing herself, discussed her experience as a resident of western Jefferson County. Ms. Marinelli talked about the various communities of interest in Jefferson County. She responded to questions from the commission.

12:52 PM -- Nancy Stuart, representing herself, stated her opinion that Grand County should not be included in a district with the Front Range. Ms. Stuart discussed water issues unique to Grand County.

12:54 PM -- Sara Rosene, representing herself, spoke about her experience as a Grand County resident. Ms. Rosene is the clerk and recorder in Grand County. She discussed the unique interests of Grand County residents.

12:56 PM -- Jim Benson, representing himself, is a member of the city council in Commerce City. Mr. Benson asked that Commerce City not be divided into a new House district. He responded to questions from the commission.

01:00 PM -- Ann Ragsdale, representing herself, discussed communities of interest in Adams County.

01:01 PM -- Bob Knapp, representing himself, spoke about his experience as a resident of unincorporated Adams County. Mr. Knapp asked the commission to keep House districts 35 and 50 intact.

01:03 PM -- Maxine Berg, representing herself, stated her opinion that Longmont should not be divided in the manner it currently exists. Ms. Berg submitted her written statement (Attachment R).

01:05 PM -- Dominick Moreno, representing himself, discussed the changes that need to be made in the Commerce City area due to population changes. Mr. Moreno stated that Commerce City has interests in common with many of the areas to the west of the city. He responded to a number of questions from the commission.

01:11 PM -- Sally Miller, representing herself, commented about House District 33 and Senate District 23. Ms. Miller spoke about her experience as a Broomfield resident. She discussed the unique interests of the residents of Broomfield.

01:14 PM -- Mike Altenbern, representing himself, suggested that Broomfield be aligned with parts of Boulder County for the purpose of redistricting. Mr. Altenbern stated his opinion that Broomfield is connected through the University of Colorado, Boulder Valley schools, and Highway 36. He responded to questions from the commission.

01:18 PM -- Betty Swenson, representing herself, spoke about the history of Longmont in the redistricting process. Ms. Swenson suggested ways to create a whole district in Longmont.

01:24 PM -- Richard Pabon, representing himself, discussed his experience as a volunteer in Adams 50 School District. Mr. Pabon spoke about the Hispanic pupils enrolled in the school district.

01:28 PM -- Lori Goldstein, representing herself, spoke about her experience as a teacher and parent in the Adams 12 School District. Ms. Goldstein discussed socioeconomic issues relevant to parts of Adams County.

01:30 PM -- Mayor Pat Quinn, representing himself, discussed his experience a resident of Broomfield. Mayor Quinn spoke about the interests of the residents of Broomfield and stressed that Broomfield does not have any connection to Weld County. He provided detailed maps of development projects in Broomfield (Attachment S)

01:34 PM -- Peg Cage, representing herself, discussed her experience as a Longmont resident. Ms. Cage expressed concern about being in a district with voters in the city of Boulder. She would prefer to be connected with other rural areas of Boulder County.

01:37 PM -- Frances Groff-Gonzales, representing herself, expressed her opinion that Adams 50 school district and House District 33 should be kept the way they are now.

01:39 PM -- Saoirse Chars-Graves, representing herself, discussed her experience as a resident of Golden.

01:41 PM -- Bob Norris, representing himself, spoke about his experience as a resident of Longmont. Mr. Norris expressed his opinion that no part of Longmont should be included in a district with Weld County. He does not support the idea of combining all of Longmont into one district.

01:45 PM -- Cathy Goevert, representing herself, explained the commonalities of interest between Boulder and Broomfield.

01:50 PM -- Linda Rockwell, representing herself, discussed her experience as a resident of Jefferson County.

01:53 PM -- Dough Schroeder, representing House District 31 Democrats, urged the commission to keep the core portion of Northglenn together with Thornton.

01:55 PM -- Angie Layton, representing herself, spoke about representation of Longmont residents. Ms. Layton discussed the common interests of the residents of Longmont and the rest of Boulder County.

02:00 PM -- Francesca Giordono, representing herself, urged the commission to keep Broomfiled whole. Ms. Giordono responded to questions from the commission.

02:03 PM -- Chris Kennedy, representing himself, discussed possible ways of splitting the city of Lakewood.

02:05 PM -- Karl Hoopes, representing himself, suggested making changes in the southern portion of Commerce City in order to maximize the Latino population in that area.

02:07 PM -- Dottie Rawsky, representing herself, urged the commission to combine Broomfield with Boulder County rather than putting it with Weld County. Ms. Rawsky spoke extensively about her ties to Boulder County.

02:14 PM -- Donald Culp, representing himself, commented that the areas of Denver immediately surrounding Colfax Avenue are a community of interest and both sides of the street should be kept together.

02:15 PM

The commission recessed.

02:36 PM -- Public Testimony for Region 7

The commission came back to order. The following witnesses testified:

02:39 PM -- Olivia Mendoza, representing the Hispanic Redistricting Coalition, provided a written statement to the commission (Attachment T). Ms. Mendoza provided information about the areas of the region that have high Hispanic populations. She responded to questions from the commission.

02:47 PM -- Grace Lopez Raminez, representing Mi Familia Vota, spoke of the changes and growth she has seen in Denver during her lifetime with respect to heavily Hispanic neighborhoods. Ms. Lopez Ramirez urged the commission to adopt a map that does not limit the choices of candidates for Latino communities and allows those communities to have strong representation at the state level.

02:51 PM -- Pam Gail, representing herself, spoke to the differences between Centennial and Greenwood Village and asked that the two cities not be tied together in a single district. Ms. Gail also encouraged the creation of competitive districts. She responded to questions from the commission.

02:55 PM -- JM Fay, representing herself, asked Kate Meyer, staff member of the Colorado Reapportionment Commission, to read her prepared statement aloud (Attachment U)

02:57 PM -- Martin Lampert, representing himself, spoke about the Four Square Mile area of Arapahoe County. Mr. Lampert expressed his opinion that many people moved to the area because of the Cherry Creek School District. He discussed the diversity of the Four Square Mile area and stated that the area should stay as it is. He remarked that Parker Road should not be used as a dividing line.

03:03 PM -- Todd Mata, representing himself, stated his opinion that Centennial should be kept separate from Greenwood Village. Mr. Mata also spoke to Arapahoe County and commented that the diverse communities in the county should be considered and each allowed a voice. He responded to questions from the commission.

03:09 PM -- Maragret Atencio, representing herself, clarified that she is not related to Commissioner Atencio. Ms. Atencio discussed the Latino community of interest. She explained her opinion that complimentary communities of interest should be paired together.

03:12 PM -- Ellen Belef, representing herself, stated that she would like Aurora to stay within its current House districts.

03:14 PM -- Andrew Bateman, representing himself, spoke on the topic of education. Mr. Bateman stated that he lives in Aurora and the Cherry Creek School District. He discussed the strength of the Cherry Creek School District and his opinion that this area should be kept as unified as possible.

03:16 PM -- Cindy Lowery-Graber, representing the Denver Democratic Party, urged the commission to create eight complete House districts within the City and County of Denver. Ms. Lowery-Graber asked the commission to consider the Hispanic population in Northwest Denver and the African-American population in Northeast Denver, as well as other neighborhoods. She spoke to drawing a Senate district around the Tech Center and about specific districts that contain high Hispanic populations. Ms. Lowery-Graber responded to extensive questioning from the commission.

03:30 PM -- Representative Angela Williams, representing herself, spoke to the need to reduce the population in her district. Representative Williams discussed the importance of creating districts that can elect African American candidates.

03:32 PM -- Lorena Garcia, representing the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, discussed the importance of keeping communities of interest together. Ms. Garcia cited research from Portia Morrison Hensley about employment outcomes for minority groups living in racially mixed neighborhoods to illustrate her point.

03:34 PM -- John Buckley, representing himself, discussed his experience as a resident of unincorporated Arapahoe County. Mr. Buckley suggested looking to the services such as fire and police that are utilized through various agreements. He spoke to the party breakdown of Arapahoe County. He stated that he is a business owner in Cherry Creek and those areas should be kept together.

03:38 PM -- Arnold Schultz, representing himself, spoke to moving to his home because of the Cherry Creek School District. Mr. Schultz talked about the majority-minority possibilities in Aurora. He spoke to the fact that his neighborhood is split in the Senate. He discussed a school in the Cherry Creek School District that is not included in the same House district as other schools in the school district. In response to a question from the commission, Mr. Schultz expressed his opinion that Mississippi should be the northern border of his House district.

03:45 PM -- Mel Rawls, representing himself, spoke about House District 42 and the area north of Colfax Avenue that includes Adams County. Mr. Rawls discussed the ethnic and cultural diversity created by the immigrant communities in the area. He stated his opinion House District 42 should grow north into Adams County.

03:49 PM -- Amber Tafoya, representing the Latina Initiative, submitted a letter on behalf of the Metro Organization for People (Attachment V). Ms. Tafoya reiterated the testimony of prior witnesses with regard to the strong representation of Hispanic communities of interest. She spoke to electing a candidate of choice of the Latino community and asked that such communities not be split. She also asked that neighborhoods be kept whole whenever possible. She stated that west Denver has the highest density of Latino populations. Ms. Tafoya discussed issues that create challenges for neighborhoods, such as graffiti and foreclosures. She spoke to the Barnum neighborhood split. Discussion ensued between the commission and Ms. Tafoya.

04:10 PM -- Ann Farrell, representing herself, suggested putting the Lowry community together in one district. Ms. Farrell submitted a map to illustrate her point (Attachment W).

04:13 PM -- Senator Pat Steadman, representing himself, spoke to diversity in the General Assembly and the gay, lesibian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) community. Senator Steadman discussed splits in the GLBT community and specific districts that have high concentrations of GLBT voters. He responded to questions from the commission about the GLBT community.

04:24 PM

Commissioner Webb asked the committee what time the commission would like to meet for the next meeting. Commissioner Berry suggested starting early and taking a break to allow for a break at about 11:00 a.m. to allow for commissioners to attend an event. The commission agreed to meet at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 18, 2011. A number of written statements were submitted and entered into the record (Attachment X).

04:27 PM

The commission adjourned.