Activists, students seek redistricting for SRJC board

A push is underway to change how some trustees at the Santa Rosa Junior College are elected.

Activists and current and former students are calling to split up the biggest district that stretches from northeast Santa Rosa and down to Roseland, Rohnert Park and Cotati. Known as the Santa Rosa Area, it currently encompasses more than 200,000 residents — three times larger than any of the other four districts. The group argues the large district makes it costly for candidates to run and 'dilutes' minority representation, and they want to divide it into three separate areas to open up elections to potential trustees in lower-income neighborhoods.

It's a move backed by organizations such as the North Bay Organizing Project and the Democratic Party, which pushed two years ago for a similar measure that would have required the Santa Rosa City Council to switch its at-large elections to district elections.

The college board held a work session Wednesday to discuss the contentious and complicated issue.

The call for redistricting comes on the heels of a major shakeup for the board after three new trustees were sworn in this winter upon defeating incumbents. At least two of them voiced support during a study session to explore the idea further. Jordan Burns and Dorothy Battenfeld suggested creating a committee to look at, for example, the steps that the board would need to take and how much it would cost. Battenfeld, Richard Call and Don Edgar represent the district at issue.

There were questions about whether the board could make changes to the district or whether it would be up to the County Committee on School District Reorganization to call an election.

'The current system doesn't appear to be in the best interest of the people we represent,' said Battenfeld, who sits in the large district, also referred to as District 3, 4 and 5.

'As a trustee, I serve the public interest,' added Battenfeld, also a member of the local Democratic Party. 'I want to make sure that our elections are democratic and fair.'

Although three college trustees currently are elected from that district, some argued at the meeting that they often come from wealthier neighborhoods and don't reflect the diverse community. Smaller districts would level the playing field, said Jessica Jones, a former student body president who's behind the push. She said about a third of those who live in the district are Latinos but have had little representation on the board over the years.

'Over the decades, populations have changed. Businesses have changed,' Jones said before the work session. 'Yet, the Santa Rosa Junior College governance structure has remained the same.'

She suggested dividing the district into three, including one district that is heavily Latino and includes the Roseland neighborhood in southwest Santa Rosa. She said she wants to ensure 'every voice is heard in the community,' but says the current election system isn't equitable, despite about a quarter of the county's population and a third of the college student body being Latino.

'This is really a social justice issue,' said Janis Watkins, an SRJC alumna and member of the North Bay Organizing Project. She urged the board to pay attention to the students standing behind her who had blue tape over their mouths, symbolizing their voices not being heard under the current system.

Edgar said he needed to learn more about the issue before making a decision on redistricting. However, he added, as a trustee he represents all students and residents, including Latinos.

'I can't think of anything I've ever done as a trustee that didn't represent them (all),' he said.

It's an issue that surfaces every decade around the release of the new census, said Warren Ruud, a math professor and past president of the faculty union, which supports redistricting.

'The students have taken this further than the faculty,' he said before the meeting.

'It seems, after listening to a multitude of groups and the community, that redistricting is going to be coming eventually,' Burns said.

Margaret Merchat, legal counsel for the Sonoma County Junior College District, said the creation of districts wasn't done 'willy-nilly.' She said the college started in the 1930s with five trustees — two who represented the 'sparsely' populated west county area and three for Santa Rosa, considered the urban core. As more areas joined the college district, Santa Rosa maintained its three seats.

'This isn't done by accident,' she said. 'There's a lot of history involved.'

Regardless, Robert Edmonds, an activist who sits on the Community and Local Law Enforcement Task Force, said the board still needs to examine the issue.

'It isn't necessarily about electing a Latino,' he said. 'It's about giving people who are Latino, in this case, to elect people of their choice.'

Edmonds added, ''In other college districts in California, this comes about because of legal actions …We're trying to give them the opportunity to do this without it being a legal battle.'

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @eloisanews.