A preliminary map that would influence San Diego politics for the next

A preliminary map that would influence San Diego politics for the next decade by reshaping the boundaries of City Council districts could pose future problems for a few sitting politicians and leave the Asian-American community longing for a voice at City Hall.

The once-a-decade process is always rife with disagreements about where the lines will be drawn and how political power will be shifted, but the seven-member redistricting commission has the extra challenge of creating a ninth council district — a change mandated by voters in 2010.

After months of listening to public testimony, looking over dozens of proposed plans and the careful analysis of census data, the volunteer commission produced a preliminary map that would place two council members out of their current districts and deny a push to have the ninth district heavily populated with Asian Americans.

The map has already been under heavy criticism from a number of groups. Aside from complaints from Asian American community members, an Aug. 9 meeting revealed numerous criticisms about with the preliminary map including:

• Linda Vista being split into three districts

• Relando Park and Redwood Village no longer grouped with the College Area

• The southern area of City Heights belonging to a different district than the rest of the neighborhood

• Golden Hill being moved into District 3 when it has traditionally been grouped with District 8, the southern-most district.

Each tweak the commission makes to the preliminary map has a domino effect that can cause headaches to keep the districts balanced. The final map could end up looking like the proposed map, but there is still room for change.

The new map reflects populations shifts revealed in new census data. Each district is decreasing in size by as much as 52,000 people to bring the largest and smallest districts within 3 percentage points of each other in size. This means boundary lines are shrinking and some groups feel like they are getting squeezed out.

Traditionally, district lines are drawn to preserve “communities of interest,” but what that actually means is up for interpretation.

Despite federal law barring race from being a primary factor in creating political districts, it is not uncommon to have cultural groups lobby for representation.

Asians make up 17.3 percent of the total population in San Diego and community leaders have been fighting for a district to call their own since the previous commission drew maps in 2001.

The Asian & Pacific American Coalition is a grass-roots organization that has been attending redistricting meetings since they began last fall.

Cindy Chan, a member of the group, said Asian Americans are frustrated because they feel like they have done everything right throughout the process, only to come up empty.

A third of the population in the proposed District 6 is Asian, but community leaders were hoping for a greater percentage by including Rancho Peñasquitos within its borders as well.

If the map stays as is, the coalition is contemplating gathering signatures for a referendum that would force the commission to repeal the map or put it to a public vote.

“We are the fastest growing group in San Diego and our representation should reflect that,” Chan said. “It’s not about now, it’s about the next 10 years.”

Having a plurality of voters of a specific ethnic or cultural group does not always guarantee representation.

Blacks make up 20 percent of the population in District 4 and are significantly outnumbered by Hispanics and Asians. But the district has been represented by a black council member since 1969, including current council President Tony Young.

The only Asian or Pacific Islander on the council is Todd Gloria, who represents District 3, which, on community-submitted preliminary maps show a significant gay population.

Gloria, the latest of three consecutive openly gay council members from the district, is in the awkward position of being up for re-election in 2012 and potentially being carved out of his district.

Gloria owns a home in City Heights — a neighborhood that will likely be placed in the new District 9 — but said he is planning on moving into the new District 3.

“I based my decision off the projects I’ve been working on, such as the redevelopment in North Park and the major initiatives in Balboa Park,” he said. “If re-elected, I would provide continuity, which is what I think the community needs most.”

The city requires people running for council office to be a registered voter of the appropriate district for at least 30 days before they file nomination papers and a resident of that district when they assume office.

Those rules give Lorie Zapf, the District 6 representative, a few years to think about her plans if the preliminary map is approved. The new map shows Zapf’s Bay Ho neighborhood as part of District 2.

The City Charter states changes in redistricting lines cannot end a council member’s term early. When Zapf’s term ends in 2014, she can choose to run for Kevin Faulconer’s District 2 seat — he will be forced out by term limits — or move to run for her current district.

The redistricting commission is made up of seven volunteers who have the sole authority to create and adopt the boundaries for council districts. Anisha Dalal, the commission’s chairwoman said she thinks the current map is a solid compromise.

“I feel we have come up with a best draft,” she said. “I just want to point out that we have been very sensitive to all of the input we’ve heard.”

The commission is expected to vote on a final map on August 25.