Stanislaus County is hoping the public provides input on drawing new district lines for the Board of Supervisors over the next couple of months.

New districts are generally drawn after every federal census which takes place every 10 years. Census numbers are used to determine how many seats each state will have in Congress and in redistricting of state legislatures, county boards of supervisors, and city councils.

Stanislaus County’s population grew 0.2 percent from 554,931 to 555,968 as of Jan. 1, 2021, according to the California Department of Finance. While the county grew in population, California shrunk by 182,083 residents as many fled to other states with less taxation, better job opportunities, less homelessness and cheaper housing among other factors.

Earlier this year an ad hoc Citizen’s Advisory Redistricting Commission was formed to make recommendations on how to draw new lines for the five supervisorial districts. The commission will assist the county in ensuring that each district is equal in population so that neighborhoods and communities are properly grouped together for purposes of electing a supervisor.

Public input is encouraged to attend workshops and hearings throughout the months of September to December during the redistricting process. The end result will produce updated drafts of the five supervisorial districts, which will be formally decided upon later this year.

For additional information and meeting details, please review the County’s Redistricting website at http://www.stancounty.com/redistricting/.