Redistricting report, population distribution indicates significant changes for Elk Grove City Council District 4

Current Elk Grove City Council district boundaries. | 

On Wednesday night, the Elk Grove City Council will hear a report from City Clerk Jason Lindgren about the city's decennial redistricting process. Although other government entities have started and completed their process, because Elk Grove City Council positions are not on the ballot until the November general election, they have until April 22 to adopt new district maps that equally portion population in the four city council districts.

As highlighted in Lindgren's report, Elk Grove's population has grown by 23,000 residents for a growth rate of 15-percent. While each of the four districts added residents, the largest increase came in District 4 on the city southside, adding over 16,000 residents (see tables below). 

Given the high growth in District 4, City Councilmember Stephanie Nguyen represents 55,000 residents. The other three districts have about 40,000 residents each, which indicates that District 4 will lose just under 12,000 residents.   

While new boundaries will be established based on population distribution, by law, communities of interest should not be split. According to Lindgren's report, "Communities of interest can involve several elements, such as neighborhoods defined by ethnic background, race, schools, primary language, churches, parks, or a host of other factors."

Interestingly, while Elk Grove's population growth continued over the last 10 years, there was a substantial drop in the white population. The 2010 census reported over 70,000 whites, and by 2020 it dropped to 57,000 for an 18-percent decrease.

As part of the redistricting process, the city anticipates online and in-person outreach meetings starting next month. The city has selected Redistricing Insights to conduct the outreach and development of maps.

Information about the process is available on the city's redistricting page. Wednesday's virtual city council meeting starts at 6 p.m.  

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