Voters in Manteca will end up having a say in the election of all five South San Joaquin Irrigation District board members under two competing reapportionment proposals.
Manteca is currently split between four of the five SSJID districts. The two redistricting proposals being presented to the board Tuesday reflect increases in populations. They also comply with a directive to a consultant to draft areas to try and keep existing board members’ residences within their current boundaries. The selected scenario will be circulated for input at an upcoming public hearing.
The options reflect the fact Manteca - with 67,096 residents based on the 2010 census - now represents almost 68 percent of the district’s 98,849 residents.
In the past, SSJID elections have been low-key affairs in terms of stirring up voter interest in Manteca. That is likely to change if the SSJID succeeds next year on its bid to enter the retail power business. That would mean every director would be under public scrutiny from Manteca residents not only on delivering on the promise of 15 percent lower power rates but also providing improved electrical service.
Currently District 1 - represented by Robert Holmes of Escalon - is the only district that doesn’t include part of the City of Manteca.
Existing districts
As things stand now, Ralph Roos (District 2) represents Ripon and Manteca north of Grafton Avenue to Lathrop Road and then west of Austin Road to Locust Avenue north of the 120 Bypass and west of Austin Road to Main Street south of the 120 Bypass.
Dale Kuil (District 4) represents rural South Manteca and Manteca proper east of Main Street and south of Grafton Avenue to Austin Road as well as south of the 120 Bypass west of Main Street.
Dave Kamper (District 3) generally represents portions of the City of Manteca that are east of Main Street and north of Yosemite Avenue as well as a large swath of the rural area east to Van Allen Road.
John Holbrook (District 5) represents the rural North Manteca area north of Southland Road and everything to the west of Highway 99 outside of Manteca proper as well as most of the city that is generally west of Main Street and north of Center Street with the exception of two areas that jut in and are attached to districts represented by Kuil and Kamper.
Holmes (District 1) represents Escalon and the remaining eastern portion of the district.
First option
In the first option, Roos (District 2) would represent Ripon and roughly a triangle of Manteca bounded by Moffat Boulevard, North Street, and Highway 99.
Kuil (District 4) would represent areas of Manteca to the west of Moffat Boulevard to Center Street between Sycamore Avenue and Union Road on the north to Union Road on the west as well as everything south of the 120 Bypass west of Union Road. His rural portion would still include the countryside south of Manteca.
Kamper (District 3) would represent Manteca east of Highway 99 that is south of Louise Avenue as well as an area of the city bounded on the south by Alameda Street then on the east by Powers Avenue and then on the south by North Street then on the east by Elm Avenue and then the south by Center Street to Union Road on the west, then Lathrop Road on the north, and then the Tidewater Bikeway on the east and then Louise Avenue on the north. The rural portion of his district would end at Jack Tone Road to the east.
Holbrook (District 5) would represent Manteca west of Union Road as well as part of Manteca north of Lathrop Road.
Holmes (District 1) would represent Manteca north of Louise Avenue to the Tidewater Bikeway on the west as well as Escalon and the eastern portion of the district and essentially everything else in the rural area north of Manteca, east of Highway 99 and north of East Highway 120.
Second option
In the second option, Roos (District 2) would represent almost all of Manteca south of the 120 Bypass and Ripon.
Kuil (District 4) would be left out of his district as the new boundaries would make it an exclusive Manteca district bounded on the north by Louise Avenue between Highway 99 and Union Road, then on the east by Union to a point the district jogs east with Center Street as the southern boundary then south again along Sequoia Avenue and then east along South Street and then south along Main Street until Grafton to Van Ryn Avenue. Then the eastern boundary would be Van Ryn, Spreckels Avenue and Cottage Avenue to Highway 99.
Kamper (District 3) would be left out of his district as the new boundaries would make it an exclusive Manteca district as well abutting District 4 on the east, Woodward Avenue on the south, McKinley Avenue on the west, and Louise Avenue on the north.
Holbrook (District 5) would consist of Manteca north of Lathrop Road (Union Ranch and Del Webb at Woodbridge) plus north of Louise Avenue east of Highway 99 and the rest of the northwest rural portion of the district.
Holmes (District 1) would consist of Manteca south of East Louise Avenue and on the west by Cottage Avenue, Spreckels Avenue, and Van Ryn Avenue.
23,058 more residents
The SSJID added more than 23,058 new residents in Manteca, Ripon, and Escalon between 2000 and 2010 as the 72,000-acre district continues its 102-year trend of population moving from a rural base to urbanized centers.
Census tract figures reflect minimum gains in rural portions of the district but big gains in urban areas.
From the 2000 to 2010 census:
•Manteca went from 49,258 to 67,096 residents.
•Ripon went from 10,146 to 14,297 residents.
•Escalon went from 5,963 to 7,132 residents.
Manteca’s net gain of 17,738 residents was three times that of Ripon and Escalon combined. Ripon gained 4,151 residents and Escalon added 1,169 residents.
The goal was to have each district come close to average 19,970 residents.
