Redistricting for the 11th Legislative District by Jim Flynn

 If you are going to try to make sense of redistricting then you are in for a wild ride.  You can find all the information, including maps at the Redistricting Commission web site: http://www.redistricting.wa.gov/maps.asp

By all means use that fantastic app, Google Earth, to view the maps. The PDF map files only give a general idea of each plan.

http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html

The Legislature appoints the Redistricting Commissioners, made up of a non-voting chairperson and four commissioners who finalize a plan to be introduced to the Legislature in January, if it is not resolved then the State Supreme Court will decide.  In any case, according the Redistricting Commission web page, redistricting must be completed by June 2012.

http://www.redistricting.wa.gov/maps.asp

Commissioner Dean Foster Plan

Commissioner Foster’s plan seems to me the most grandiose of all because it keeps most of the 11^th LD as is.  Ain’t gonna happen.   According to this plan, MLK Hwy, (Sunset Hwy in Renton) is the East boundary in the Seattle portion and the Duwamish is the West boundary all the way to the end of the East Waterway in Seattle, near Holgate St.  It looks like Marine Terminal 25 may be included but the boundary jogs around Terminal 30.  Including all of Tukwila then East following WA900 (Sunset Hwy) South of Lake WA all the way past 176^th Ave SE then lots of jogs South towards Fairwood then West on Pertovitsky, then Carr Rd down the hill turning into SW 43^rd, past IKEA, West, back to Tukwila. With this plan, our Democratic State Representatives, Zack Hudgins and Bob Hasegawa and Senator Margarita Prentice remain.

The Foster plan has Fairwood and Benson Hill Communities in the 9^th Congressional District extending all the way to the Maple Valley Hwy and South of Lake Youngs.

Commissioner Tim Ceis Plan

Commissioner Ceis’ plan has the NW border of the 11 LD on the Duwamish just Northwest of the 14^th S Bridge. Moving in a southerly direction the border follows the river then Military Rd, then International Blvd on the West.  Still traveling South if follows all those weird boundaries of Tukwila then back to S 180^th in Kent.  Proceeding East now SW 43^rd in Renton, past IKEA the borders are all the South borders of Renton all the way to SE 192^nd    then East into unincorporated King County,  past the Soos Creek Water District Bldg to  Lake Youngs Rd. From there it takes a lot of jogs towards the NW, way, way out there, you know, so far out you reach the proverbial place where the rabbits get it on with the chickens. Finally you end up on Sunset Hwy and the Renton Issaquah Rd as the North boundary then West on Sunset, back to Tukwila.  All of East Renton Plateau and the Highlands are included but not Kennydale and North Renton, thank you very much.  Bob Hasegawa would not be included in the plan but Zack Hudgins and Margarita Prentice will still be included.

The Ceis plan has the 9^th Congressional District extended all the way to he Renton Maple Valley Rd and includes all of Fairwood the Benson Hill Communities.

Commissioner Slade Gorton Plan

Commissioner Gorton’s plan for the 11^th LD, which seem the most practical, has all of Renton and NE Kent, including the part of the Benson Hill area that was recently annexed to Kent and as is currently in the 47^th LD.  The area is a strong Democratic, Middle Class diverse community where economic equality seems to be the norm. That part of Gorton’s plan South of Renton extends through the Benson Hill area South to SE 208^th then East to 132^nd SE, North to the Renton City Limit on 192^nd SE.  But there is a lot more.  The West boundary of the Gorton plan follows Renton City Limit on the West, that is HWY 167 South of SW 43^rd, South and after a few right angle jogs to the East goes all the way to S 240^th  in Kent.  Follow S 240^th  up the hill to the Benson then South to  SE 248^th  then West to 109^th Ave SE, only 1 block, then South to SE 256^th and West to SE 116^th.  On SE 116^th, go north, back to SE 208^th .   With the Gorton plan, Zack Hudgins of Tukwila, Bob Hasegawa of Seattle will no longer be in the 11^th LD.  Senator Margarita Prentice (D 11th LD) will remain in the 11th LD.

With Gorton’s plan, all of Fairwood West of 140^th Ave SE and Renton and Tukwila will be in the 1st Congressional District.  The area East of 140^th will be in the 8^th Congressional District.

Commissioner Tom Huff Plan

Commissioner Huff’s Plan would include the Southern portion of Tukwila with the area around S 112^th as the North border and taking some weird jogs through Tukwila.  Moving West to Renton, the Renton Airport is included as well as Kennydale, but not exactly, because those areas are a different color than the rest of the Huff Plan map, unique to the Commissioners’ plans in the Google Earth layer.  There is no explanation for the different colors.  Maybe the Renton Airport was added as an afterthought.  The plan shows a lot of convoluted twists and turns which will take forever to explain and if you got this far you are really out of patience, thank you.  The border turns South from Sunset just East of the East Renton Highlands to Fairwood. This is just to hard to lay out in words, it would be a lot easier if you just get the Google Layer yourself at  http://www.redistricting.wa.gov/maps.asp    Anyway,  the Huff plan takes you all the way to S 240^th in Kent as the Southern border but just a narrow strip between 116^th SE and 130^th SE.  With the Huff plan Bob Hasegawa is out and Zack and Margarita are in but I get dizzy trying to figure out who is out and who is in with this plan.

The Huff plan includes Seatac, DeMoines, Kent, most of Renton, Fairwood and all of Lake Youngs on the East in the newly formed 10^th Congressional District.