For the first time in its history, the city of El Cajon will have council districts, instead of electing council members in a city-wide vote.
One of the reasons for the change is to increase the diversity on the City Council. But first, the city has to decide how to draw its new district boundaries.
In February and March, residents weighed in on what the maps should look like, or drew their own, and on Tuesday about 20 residents gathered for a final viewing of the maps.
There were 15 maps submitted by members of the public that met legal requirements, including that the population be evenly distributed between the four new districts. National Demographic Corporation, which was hired by the city to help with the districting process, also submitted three additional maps.
The company's vice president, Justin Levitt, told the crowd that usually he only sees four or five viable maps during districting or redistricting processes.
"And sometimes there's just one from someone who hates the City Council and puts all the councilmembers in one district," he joked.
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Nadheer Al Sumeri, a three-year resident of El Cajon, was at the Tuesday meeting to give his input. He said for him, the maps must have one thing.
"Any map that divides the downtown into one or two districts, I think this one would work for my view," he said.
That is because the majority of El Cajon's Middle Eastern population lives downtown. Al Sumeri is Iraqi, and wants to set up districts where Middle Eastern people are in the majority.
"So we will be able to have one or two people to represent us as Middle Easterners, to tell Americans about us, who we are, without any stereotype or previous judgement," he said.
There is one council member from Iraq on the current council, Ben Kalasho, but Al Sumeri said he wants more.
Kalasho previously told KPBS he is not on the council to just represent the Iraqi community’s needs, and instead represents his mostly white Fletcher Hills neighborhood.
Al Sumeri said he and others from the Middle Eastern community come to the district meetings to give input on the maps.
"That's why we are here, to find which map works for us, to help us," he said.
All 18 maps will be sent on to the El Cajon City Council, which will decide which one is best over a series of three meetings in May.
