001okay yeah well I'm gonna go ahead I'm calling the board meeting of the zoo's Unified School District to order and today we have a special meeting oh we have the flag salute everybody stand up hand over your heart I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America one nation under God okay and now for a roll call board member Sheila mean Cruz and board member elana tortillas pena president and board member adriennes and board member gabriella utter yes present all righty so at this point you're going to go to the approval of the agenda a motion to approve the agenda alrighty let's do our bode okay now we're moving oh we haven't we're not done yet are you waiting for me oh it's not no okay all righty and passes 5-0 and
002next we go to item 2.0 items from the floor public comment on agenda or not agenda items this is an opportunity for the public to address the board on agenda or not in jinda items no action can be taken on non-agenda items individual speakers may be allowed up to three minutes to address the board on any agenda or non agenda item prior to addressing the board please fill out the request to speak public comment blue card and submit it to the board secretary do we have any great thing is we don't have any we will move on to general functions 3.1 trustee voting areas where we're going to learn all about the trustee voting area thank you can you hear me better okay okay so tonight I'm going to just kind of give you an
003overview of the California Voting Rights Act mention the key points and give you an opportunity to ask any questions so let me start by just pointing out that there's two general types of Elections there's the at-large elections which you have currently where voters vote for the entire jurisdiction and elect members of the board there's the district based or trustee area based elections where board members must reside in a particular area two particular trustee area and only the voters in that particular trustee area vote for that board member prior to the passage of the California Voting Rights Act most school districts utilized an at-large system but with the passage of the California Voting Rights Act many districts cities counties are moving toward district based or trustee area based systems due to the fact that the California
004Voting Rights Act strongly disfavors at-large elections so was passed in 2002 the purpose of the Act was to enhance the protections in the federal Voting Rights Act and provide voters particularly minority voters the ability to challenge at-large elections and to elect the candidate of their choice the California Voting Rights Act prohibits at-large elections that impair the ability of a protected class you know racial or ethnic minority to elect the candidates or of their choice or to influence the outcome of the election and so when you get involved in litigation over the California Voting Rights Act one of the things they looked at is to see has there been a history of racially polarized and when one of the things that the legislature did when they passed the California Voting Rights Act is they lowered the
005threshold of proof so they made it easier for the plaintiffs to win the lawsuit if they file a lawsuit against the school district or city or special district and so today no public emiti has won a lawsuit involving the California Voting Rights Act and when you lose a import you end up being liable for attorneys fees litigation costs expert witness fees and so on and it can be incredibly expensive the city of Palmdale the city of Santa Monica have both been involved in extensive litigation over the California Voting Rights Act and have been held liable for more than a million dollars in attorneys fees so it can get quite expensive if what's happened in most cases with cities and school districts as they've gone voluntarily into moving toward a district based system to avoid litigation
006and to avoid those huge attorneys fees caused so what's the process how does that process work well the board starts by adopting a resolution to initiate the process of establishing trustee areas the law requires that you have four public hearings a minimum of four public hearings so you have two public hearings on the criteria and the composition of the trustee area maps where you hear from the public and then between the second public hearing and the third public hearing the demographer that's been retained to by the school board then publishes maps they have to be published at least seven days before the third public hearing and then the public would provide input on the maps at public hearings three and four and then following those public hearings the board adopts a resolution to adopt in
007particular yeah so typically there's three to five maps that the demographer will draft on behalf of the board and then also there's a process for waiver from the State Board of Education because there's a requirement in the education code that was placed there before the passage and the California Voting Rights Act which requires a vote of the electors by the district but every school district that's got involved in this process has significant waivers so that there's no election among the voters because the problem is if the voters turned down the switch to the or the transition to the trustee area elections then you could end up in litigation and can end up costing quite a bit of money so there's also a process after you approve the map it goes to the LA County Committee
008on school district organization and they have a public hearing at the LA County Office of Education then they have a public hearing within the school district and then they have a third hearing and a vote on whether to approve the map that was approved by the school board so he's got the requirement to with the LA County committee and you have the State Board of Education voting on the waiver that process though the State Board has always approved the waivers they've not turned to me down the only difficulty with the process before the State Board of Education is that there's a lot of lead time in order to get it on their agenda so for example the deadline for the March March board meeting for the State Board of Education already passed it was January
0099th so the next board meeting for the State Board of Education is in May and the deadline is sometime in March they have to complete that waiver process and get that waiver in by that deadline which that's something you could it's possible to accomplish yes that's not necessary you can go ahead with the waiver before yes the state waiver would have to be completed for the May State Board of Ed meeting the LA committee County committee process would have to be completed by May as well so that you the Registrar of Voters needs everything completed by the end of June so they can get it ready for the November election I think I may have that on the next slide okay so so I kind of outlined that the process this is kind of a
010general overview of the the timeline so you would initiate the public hearings in January and early February then you'd have the third and fourth public hearings in February and early March would approve the map in March and then we would go to the LA County Committee sometime in March in April for their approval approval by the State Board of Education in April or May as well submit everything to the Registrar of Voters before the end of June and then it would be ready for the November 20 2011 and then in 2021 there's the potential redrawing of the trustee area maps due to the 2020 census so the census is going to take place in April of this year the results come out in 2021 and so depending if there's been enough of a population shift
011it might require adjusting of the maps you'd have to review the maps with the Devon demographer to see if they're still within legal requirements there cannot be more than 10% variance between the largest district or the largest district of the population versus the smallest in populations so if it exceeds that as a result of the 20/20 they would use the 2010 census events up lament that would later information that's come out from the Census Europe so they start with drawing the maps to make sure that all of them the trustee areas by population are within the 10% variance and then they look at the ethnic breakdown to make sure that they're not drawing any districts that isolate minorities depending on the demography of the district to mess with the demography so that could make a
012difference if that wasn't there in the 2010 census but now it comes on board in time for the 2020 census it could create a shift and it also could create an ethnic shift depending on the ethnic makeup of the community that moves into that new development and I have a question sure okay basically the reason that we're doing this and not just you know we're rushing through that not rushing through it I'm sorry that was a bad word II the reason that we are doing it now so we get it done by the 2020 by November 2020 the reason why is because the main reason would be to avoid litigation and the potential that you're going to get a demand letter particularly in the last few months there's a group of attorneys that let me
013back up for a minute there's a group of attorneys out there who have made it their career to sooo school districts and cities and special districts over the California Voting Rights Act and as a result of their activity the legislature stepped in a few years ago to try to limit the attorneys fees if agencies cooperate and make the transition so if you make the transition voluntarily before you get a demand letter then you're not liable for attorneys fees if you complete the process within 90 days after getting a demand letter since you haven't gotten a demand letter that gives you a little more flexibility in the last few months the attorneys have been targeting LA County not typically when something happens like counties kind of on the forefront and the first ones to do get
014involved but for some reason under the California Voting Rights Act San Bernardino County Riverside County Orange County San Diego County at least in Southern California were targeted first but now they're starting to look at LA County and so I've got several clients who've gotten demand letters in the last few months and so some of them are moving forward for the 2020 election in some cases they have entered into an agreement with the attorney who filed the demand letter paid him the thirty thousand dollars that the law allows them to obtain and then they're going to go up to 2022 elections so so each districts different each district has a different environment that they're working in different political climate so you know it's a local decision that the board has to make as far as you
015know to go with the 2020 election or the 2022 so if we're looking at the potential redrawing of Trustee area maps based on the census how much of the process repeat would need to repeat itself if there is a redrawing all right are there public hearings once again would be public hearings and you would see the process again there were the demography fees would be about 20,000 50,000 and not have to accelerate like we'd have to do with this kit in this case because we'd be looking at a redrawing for the 2022 probably in 2021 and 2022 we you probably could do it at regular meetings part of the reason we had to go with more special meetings with because the my our firm is already committed to other districts that have already started the
016process and they tend to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays that that seems to be the most popular day so everybody's double-booked and the demographers are stretched pretty thin too so you know that's you know one of the difficulties with you know moving forward with the 2020 election but the difficulty with delaying till 2022 did you run the risk of getting the demand letter and right no that's but that's almost asking I was asking about like so if we do it now right and then and then after the census we have to go through this process again right I'm asking could it be at a more reasonable rate where we have those meetings in conjunction with our regular meetings and not have to have special meetings yes I don't think it'd be as much from it's
017just a matter of the fact that we're already committed to it for their districts unfortunately and so I think the last slide these are the commonly used criteria for drawing trust earring that's equal number of evidence that's the biggest one can't vary more than ten percent compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act so you can't discriminate against any ethnic groups compact and contiguous as much as possible so we try to follow you know we don't have want to have any odd really odd shaped trustee areas if possible respect ease ease of interest as much as possible so with us because we go through this process and one of the reasons that I personally find it so interesting I really get to know the district because I start to find out what the communities of interest
018are it needs to adjust to what cities are maybe possibly involve some districts have multiple cities some have just one city some have neighborhoods well established neighborhoods so just varies and so we look at those communities of interest we look at natural Geographic features we look at highways freeways major arteries and streets look at that you know we look at incumbency look at other considerations so with the equal number inhabitants is that just inhabitants or is that like the citizens voting age population it's so it's just just people any baby any adult any person citizen non citizen everybody yes so you count everybody that's why we look at the 2010 census and then when you get into the issues of making sure that you're not isolating minorities or discriminating against minorities and you look at
019the ethnic makeup then you look at citizen so I have a question sure stay um if we did nothing and and we did get a potential lawsuit what what then a couple of things could happen depending on the attorney who files the demand I you know if you fight with you know the situation you could end up you know onions of thousands of dollars in attorneys fees if you work with the attorney and agreed to move forward it's typically thirty thousand dollars is the cost the and what they've been doing is agreeing at least a couple of districts that is you know will agree to put it off till 2022 if you pay me the thirty thousand dollars now rather than making me wait so it's you know it just depends on on what you
020as a board feel is most appropriate for your situation for your district what makes the most so are we guaranteed to get a letter or what you know there's a matter of just a little like well how much risk you know it's kind of risk tolerance you know when they talk when you know when you talk to an investment advisor for example they ask you about your risk tolerance to decide what you want to invest your money and retirement its kind of the same thing you have to kind of weigh the risk and some districts are willing to take the risk and other districts are more risk-averse so it just depends on this board and how much risk you want to take as to whether you're gonna get that so by having these meetings we're
021being proactive by family you're educating the community and you're educating yourselves and so that's helpful you know I have several districts that have had several meetings like this and have decided to just go with the 2022 election and take the risk and then I got several other districts they just want to take the risk and have to move forward with the 2020 election so just depends and I'm in some districts where we've gone through the process for the 2020 election we have a huge crowd and we've had six seven eight public hearings because public has been so engaged and so involved and then several other districts there's only been one or two people even come to the board game so you know you just never know you know your community better than I do you
022you know what if they'll you know be interested in the issue engaged in the issue or or not just so I think it's it's maybe safe relatively safe to assume that even if we move forward with this in the hearing now that there will likely be some redrawing of districts based on census data as we look at the ships that have happened so can you say what are the costs for doing it once if we did it after for the for the 2022 versus doing it now and after well you know I got a couple of proposals or yet one proposal I put out a you're a student of the demographers to give me an estimate of the cost and when I got back is just under 20,000 from one of the demographers and the
023other ones pretty much about the same so it's about 20,000 and then you know if you have to readjust the boundaries in 24 20 22 it's about a little bit less maybe 15,000 so if you do it twice it'll cost about fifteen maybe twenty thousand dollars in extra and demographers but if you do it now and you're saving potentially saving thirty thousand dollars in attorneys fees if you don't get a demand letter and you're less you're coming down the chances of getting a demand letter if you move forward so just I'm clear what that means is is a guaranteed paying out of twenty thousand to save a potential like there could be a $30,000 you know that comes in or we pay twenty thousand now to avoid a potential thirty thousand yes you do that's
024yes if you go now you you have a greater potential of avoiding the thirty thousand can't guarantee that you won't have to pay the thirty thousand because if you get a demand letter tomorrow we're kind of stuck because you haven't formally initiated the process you initiate the process by adopting a resolution so that's scheduled for it believe January 27th if I remember correctly so we're not quite there yet but if you adopt the resolution on January 27th then you've got 90 days to complete the process and you're pretty much safe from the $30,000 at that point but right now you're you're not you're vulnerable so I mean so when I do the math I see so potentially it would cost us like $35,000 if we have to do it twice if we start now have
025to do twice yes and then taking the risk it could be only $20,000 down the road or it could be 20 plus 30 which is 50,000 yeah so that's that risk you talked about yes in attorneys fees that would be the 30,000 because 22 do the demographer in 2022 but I mean our attorneys do so thirty thousand is the fee for every district regardless of their enrollment or how do they just where they get this $30,000 from what was they based it on the $30,000 is the there's a also inflation factor that the legislature enacted so it's slightly more than around 31 now but what they did was they these attorneys were sending these demand letters and then demanding 50,000 60,000 70,000 dollars so the legislature put a capital catherine and then they added that
026inflation factor so it goes up a little bit so that's where that comes from oh and their submitted invoice and you know they have usually hire a demographer of their own to do a study of the district so that's part of the cost of them there their time as well usually more than thirty thousand one you know so Linda did you mention to us that we got a request for information that no I wrote her around our voting not a demand letter a request for information so we did get a request and it was asking questions that were around where we are in the process of doing this transition how much money we've spent on legal so far so it it led us to believe they were looking to see which whether this district and
027I'm sure they submit to a lot of districts had already started the process so the request that has been asked of the district was it by a constituent was that by an attorney it was by an attorney who isn't capital at the word capital Omega I apologize but this we're not sure if this group is formally connected to all these attorneys we're singing these demand letters but it's possible because the three that I'm aware of or we're all sent to District students or still have that large system there's not issue so if they share that information with those attorneys then then they know which districts have not initiated trustee area systems and then they can fire those two managers whether they're doing that or not when was this request made say sometime in November okay
028so just recent and that what they requested was is their request was to see if we had started the process or what exactly was the request they were asking how much money we spend on attorney fees in the process whether we already happened to be a board trustee district in the process of us redistricting correct we had already hired a demographer how much we spent on the services any other well I think you'll have a few weeks to kind of Mull it over and then I do have a question about timing that so if this is not is this one of the public hearings or this is not so did we scheduling updates for all those public hearings this isn't one no it's not and that's the day that I said that I couldn't read
029it and I won't be then the 27th either and I won't be there on the 12th February it looks like we have one also I don't know my calendar so I won't I mean I can call in but I'll be in DC the third so I but I mean I want to clarify though is it a is it a board meeting of the committee forms are usually not board meeting so are they agendized are they not well depending on forums comes to the meeting of three board members planning to attempt and we would call it especially if the community forms that that I've attended has been chaired by the superintendent and then maybe one or two board members comes sometimes no board members come they just allow the superintendent to run the leader for them
030and then get input and then provide that input to the board so typically the superintendent doesn't report at the next meeting which will be the next one to go back to that that the our Kathy can you go back to the one that had the dates there okay so usually I'm at the pub the first public hearing would be when January 27th so that we adopt the resolution and have a public hearing on the same day yes you would adopt the resolution that you wouldn't you and then you have your first public hearing okay and then the second second one would be February 12 but in between you're staying you are gonna have the forum on the third yes and so those first two public hearings you will be talking about this criteria February 12th
031and that's one you can't be there people would bring up some more specifics anything that might be you know citrus Avenue is the main thoroughfare of the district and so therefore you know the line should be drawn along citrus Avenue just pick the 60 freeway it goes through it just depends and I'm not familiar yet or if there's you have to divide it by five so so the community forum at a Sousa high basically is going to be four okay so pretty much the same information that you're giving us to giving to us today the demographers going to be at the forum community forums are a little less formal you know typically depending on how many people come I mean I there was like 40 people we had a few where there was just five
032or six people so we just sent around a table and to you know the district how you want to do it it's not a formal board meeting so you can you know the one that just had four or five people so so what you're saying is that the the structure of the forum is going to depend on the amount of people that show up I think that's just amazing the nature of like of a meeting with people the more people you have the more organizing needs to be for it to be effective if there's fewer people then it can be a conversation roundtable yeah I mean typically we prepare for a group of about 25 to 40 people we have a formal presentation and we you know have it set up similar to the board
033meeting but if a couple of times we just had five or six people we just you know we did did the formal presentation and then we just had everybody sit down around a table and and just Athleta masks questions and we just had a conversation but it's really up to the superintendent that was that that particular superintendent because there was only five or six people so you know but typically the bigger ones are some way to afford me we have people you know come to the podium speak for three minutes you know yeah if they can ask questions whereas typically in a board meeting they can ask questions of the board members but in the community forum we have we allow them to ask questions and then depending on the nature of the question either
034the superintendent the attorney so since this forms gonna be taking place in almost three three weeks or so are well we have this on our website will the parents be able to you know the community know to be able to come either an invite and then now going back to the dates event so then after February 13th that's hearing number two what comes next what is your next date three twelve oh sorry and that would include a public hearing and also the adoption to start to initiate the process and then on the third of February is the first community outreach meeting at Azusa high and what I what are scheduled here is one of the zoos a high one at Gladstone high and one at Sierra high school for basically the idea of you know
035dispersing the meetings throughout the district so that people can attend them easily there on the 12th we have our second public hearing that's during a board meeting and that would be on the criteria also on the 12th after the public hearing is a resolution to identify criteria for the demographer to use in preparing the the maps and some more details about that and then during January in February there is information solicited from de Lac school site councils and bargaining units regarding that waiver that mr. Wang Hart mentioned earlier that is the waiver from an election by February we'll have some draft maps created and we'll publish them a new bike so January February around the waiver I would like us to also get input from these groups about the maps if we're going to get
036input at these forums I think let's have that conversation with with those with these groups as well so is it so it's just deal AK school site councils and bargaining units those are the three that we're getting input from the State Board of Education has a process called the waiver process that is used in a number of different actions that boards take and it specifies which groups need to formally sign on to the waiver and so those are the groups required to sign a waiver for this process okay well I mean with the tight like timeline I just want I just want to know how we're going to get that input from them are we just gonna invite them to the community forums would reach out to meet with them talk with them what is
037the deal act meet again Norma do you happen to have the date the date for the next elac meeting and school psych councilors generally meet how often usually every month so yes so should we then determine as far as there's there's these three community public meetings should we determine whether we want whether there's gonna be more than two of us that are there so that we know two agenda items that would that would be a good idea yeah so let's look if you have your calendars with you we can do that metal so the first one is at Azusa High School on February 3rd we have our board meeting on the 4th I believe so if you can indicate if you're available or interested in coming on the third I can't so Jerry I cannot
038yes so right now we have two that would come so we would not need to do it however you need to let me know right away okay perfect okay okay we can do that then our next one after that is 1026 like that's done high school so if you can check your calendars for that Yolanda yes okay yeah I can go to Belen yes you can enough anybody I mean I but no but I think we should agenda it's not a big deal to agenda is a meeting so if people want to meet up with everyone so we should go all right great ok and then let's look the last one is on 3 2 March 2nd at Sierra high school what time would this be Yolanda okay ok great so then I'll make those
039into board meetings great thank you let me go back to the the map so you get the sense of we're we have public hearings then we have the community outreach then we have additional public hearings it's a consider the input that we've gotten first on the criteria for the maps then the next set will be with the the content of the map the way they're drawn and then there's a fourth public hearing on March 4th at the the February 12th meeting we would actually adopt the resolution at that point was the criteria or that would happen at the next meeting so we're gonna have a public so we have input on February 12 to adopt the criteria following the second public hearing you know if I can sooner but you would have discussed the criteria
040on the twelfth and on this of January as well on you would have heard input on February third - and then at the February 12th meeting is when you would adopt the resolution after you've discussed the criteria and heard input on it okay so that would already have been so the more where you do the resolution to initiate the process is also the meeting where you begin to discuss what the criteria are you adopt a resolution on the criteria that's the direction to the demographer to draft the maps okay prior to the February 24th they have to be posted and published seven days in advance so that would be February 17th and then the public would provide input on the maps themselves so typically there's three to five maps and so people would comment they
041like this map or they don't like that map and they would give the reasons why board members also would participate in that discussion so they have five days to draft the maps if we adopt the resolution on the 12th and they have to post it seven days before the 24th is that sufficient time for demographer to do do justice to to whatever criteria gets developed and input from the public so I mean I mean I was gonna tell you right now my concern is that I would rather have I would if it means we have to adjust the timeline I want to make sure that the demographer has time to do a thorough job and not five days to brush something together well this is this is the timeline mr. Wein current sent us so
042he'll verify if it's doable if it's not we'll change it and I'm also so Wednesday meetings are difficult so so the 4th of March I will also not be available for that 4th so I have a question in terms of the resolution so well I just continue going through so you're you're in so it 2024 we were saying a third public hearing where we have the maps and then what and then they have another community forum at glass on High School on the 26th of February and then another one at CR High School on the 2nd of March can we make sure that people understand that the public hearing on February 3rd is very different than the other two because that public hearing is going to be about the with the criteria for the demographics
043and the other two are gonna be on the actual maps ok let's make sure the public understands that there's reason to go to both to at least two meetings because there's different public input so basically just defining that it's not gonna be the same thing yeah right because some people assume oh it's gonna be the same meeting and three places I don't need to go again yeah well clarify what it's about so that's a really good point so they know why found in some districts is people who are interested will come to each meeting and typically we explain the first set of hearings is for the criteria to discuss the criteria and there's not two the third and the fourth hearing are to discuss the maps themselves how they're drawn and whether they should be
044changed or adjusted so my question now is since we're going to go ahead and what is it February 3rd their criteria when is it that we're I mean are we in the process of hiring the Democrat grandma demographic demographics okay thank you demographer now what what does that look like can you share that with us we typically have worked with demography companies national demographics and both excellent firms I requested proposals from both of them anticipating what might be needed I got a proposal back from cooperative strategies just under $20,000 but I haven't heard back from the national demographics and that may be because they're just too busy I'm working with both companies in Britain and numerous districts right now and they're working with other attorneys as well so they're they're stretched thin so that may
045be what national demographics so on the 27th this is a special meeting for the adopt the resolution is that what you're saying for it's not a regular school board meeting yeah January 27th we would also put on the agenda hiring okay so he said public - about the criteria three and four are looking at the maps and the fourth one happens on March 4th also on March 4th there's a public hearing on the resolution authorizing a waiver that so that there's not an election and then on the 11th of March this is another resolution to adopt the specific map to change the election process the election method adopt the specific map and identify these areas and then authorize that this be submitted to LA County the LA County like a committee or at Los Angeles
046County can many on school district organization so that kind of wanes up the process that says now we have our maps we identified the criteria we listened to public on that we got the demographer or the demographers submitted some maps we listened to people's opinions about those maps we came to a decision about what to do and we're ready to submit that to the Los Angeles County Committee on school district organization so now we do that in March and then also in March are submitting that waiver application to the State Board of Education they'll put it on their mana agenda meanwhile in March or April the Los Angeles County Committee on school organization will have validating a making sure that prove that the change that you have all decided on and and once the State
047Board of Education approves the waiver then we're done and we're official wasn't there step where there you have to hold a meeting they have a hearing here in the district so I just need clarification that if we're gonna go ahead and remap after the census right here it says on 3/11 2020 identified the trustee areas in which elections will be held in 2020 so can you please clarify so will the elections in 2020 November 2 20 well the map be already in place if you go through this process and follow this timeline yes the maps will be in place but then we're gonna redistricting so it's going to shift her house it's going to shift again typically keep generally the same boundaries but it starts first and it costs to July 31st but we actually
048we had a meeting with Daniel Lee today who said that it's been extended to July 31st to finalize everybody we're all supposed to do it on April 1st if people don't that our parents and constituents can click on click on for what they don't do it on our website but we will have computers that each of the schools that they can come and use to complete their census yeah I mean I think the question is for us so I mean I I think people ask for more information right to decide what are we gonna or what are we doing next we haven't had that I'm not sure everyone last time said they were I'll say my only it appears that this this feels relatively like imminent or or inevitable I mean to me the only
049thing I wonder is to do it now versus waiting till after is the only thing I wonder like what we're really saving or not that that's the only thing I'm not I mean we're it's a risk or that we're taking that we're not gonna get a demand letter I guess I have greater confidence that if you're saying that if we follow this timeline then you're saying that based on this timeline with the meetings that laço has to have here and whatnot there's a certainty that it would be ready by 2020 if nothing goes wrong if we if after you adopt a resolution on January 27th and you know note there's no delays and everything goes smoothly and we finish it within 90 days then you're protected from that 30,000 but I have to tell you
050it doesn't always go smoothly I don't know the district and I don't know the community but I've had in other districts we've had rather than followed the time limit when we got halfway through we extended the timeline to do a fifth and a sixth public hearing and then they made adjustments to the map so we started in one district with four maps and then we expanded to eleven and then they went back down to three and then back down to two so if that was based on community input they had 30 40 people coming to meetings and saying well you know we don't think that this apartment building should be in district 3 it should be in district 2 and you know people really got into the videos and then I've had other districts where
051only one or two people came and they said the maps look fine and the process went smoothly so I can't promise you that you know I can you know protect you from that $30,000 because they don't know how that process will go so I mean I think the other piece that I would add is just I mean from what I've heard like some of our neighbors have decided to go the route and are going to trustee areas others have talked about it and decided they are not going to it at this point so I mean to your point you and I think I think both are both are our options that we could consider in my mind and I'm ambivalent I'm either way I mean I'm fine either way really anybody else your London how
052do you feel about it oh okay Gaby or board member iriemaan okay well so if if some folks if some folks are fine either way then I then I wonder why why don't we why don't we look at extending this this is a rushed timeline is because we're trying to squeeze it in for this for the upcoming election but if we're if we're finding either way can we should we slow the process down or not maybe look to after the twenty after the twenty twenty election so we're only paying what because here's something that could happen correct me if I'm if I'm wrong we could invest the money to do it this first time the process could be delayed and then we don't make it to the 2020 election we get a demand letter we
053have to pay that that money and then we have to invest the money again after there's the the census to do the process again anyhow that's possible the other possibility is that between now and January 27th you get an eMeter that's true yeah so there's those two possibilities it's hard to predict right exactly what's happened so but but if we go through the entire process and adopt maps somebody could still send us a demand letter and like let's see it after the ability for us to put it on the 2020 ballot if we if the demand letter comes in after January 27th after you adopt a resolution to initiate the process and if you complete the process within 90 days that which would be April 27th then approximately then you would be protected from that
05430,000 but if you don't finish the process by April 27th you could potentially be liable for the so what would do you think the odds would be that we're all the way that far into the process and then we get delayed and then somebody hits us with a demand letter I mean do you do you think they'll actually do that when they see that we're already doing it or I couldn't tell you for sure I can tell you that in one district that I'm working with here in LA County that did happen well they started the process then but they didn't complete it within 90 days so they ended up having to pay the $30,000 and that wasn't really the fault of the district it was just the circumstances that occurred the way well yeah
055I mean the other districts that I'm working with we started the process back in August and September and so we're pretty far along and we're gonna probably complete the process by January February and so yeah starting the process in January does make it a little bit tight and that's why we wrote it this way there's a little bit of leeway in the public hearing is orange for thinking that we have a little bit of leeway that could be you know expanded to you know a few weeks later in march toward the end of march if we needed time but I wrote it this way with the idea of mine that if we did need a little more time we had some but yeah I wouldn't argue with you that it's a it's it's a big
056decision you know and for us just to have a meeting here and read this and just make the decisions it's it's I'm myself as a quadrant right I just thought it's just very rough rushed for me yeah well you have to kind of weigh it you know the community better than I do like I said I have you know it's one district in LA County where the demand letter came in during that window period another district there waiting you know till the 2022 and they haven't gotten a demand letter and then a neighboring district did get a demand letter so I don't know how these attorneys decide which district to send the demand some cases some cases it's a community activist who goes to them in other cases it's just could I just clarify something
057this is basically a 90 day schedule and if we if we start the process later on and decide that we're going to have an elongated process but we get a demand letter we're gonna have to go back to that a 90 day schedule because if I heard you right yeah it has to be completed within 90 days once we get the demand letter so it feels tight right well but it may feel tight if we get it it will feel tight whenever we get that two-man letter if we do I would like to request a copy of mark I would like to request a copy of that notice that you were given if you can go ahead and please send that over to myself and it whichever another school board member would like that copy
058as well I would like to go ahead and read what they had asks what they've asked for could you please have it by next week already thank you I would I mean I would include our response to did we respond to one last question so yeah we're saying if it's not completed in 90 days then we're we're kind of exposed again ken is there the potential of scheduling a meeting on the 89th day to adopt a resolution to to reset the process to keep us in line how does that are there things that we can do or one district did that they adopted a resolution in 2017 and then decided to go ahead and start the process and they adopted a second resolution in August of 2019 but you know the attorney argued that hey
059you didn't complete the process of 90 days from the filing of the resolution if you can state them for the film she couldn't capture and we can hear you the whole situation the way the legislature set this up makes it very difficult for school district cities special districts to avoid not going to a by district system quickly and avoiding attorneys fees you know it's like I said in some cases there's a community activist who goes to the attorney and says hey you know you know sue my school district or they're not you know they're not moving fast enough so there's been a few of those sometimes the letter just comes out of the blue and we don't know how so it it's you know you asked about having two resolutions well in the case that
060I mentioned with the school district that adopted a resolution in 2017 they decided not to move forward with the process and they waited until 2019 they adopted a second resolution in August of 2019 and then they got a letter to man letter in September of 2019 so we argued that you're not entitled to 30,000 because we're going to complete the process within 90 days from the August 2019 resolution and they argued no it goes back to the 2017 resolution and so you know we we ended up settling we didn't pay him the whole 30,000 but we ended up paying him quite a bit of money so you know it's a it's a tough situation if we would have litigated that than what it cost the district more than $30,000 is it possible to move forward
061with this process but use this process to get information from the community and their input on their preference moving forward sure you could do that yeah yeah that won't protect you from a demand letter but it'll give you a more of an it will give you information so make it so we couldn't adopt a resolution on the 27th and then move forward and yeah I see mission yeah if you adopt a resolution on the 27th of January you can still change you know decide how fast to move forward you you if you decide not to complete the process at 90 days based on the community input you certainly can do that but you have that risk of a demand letter in the $30,000 I think that's a good idea I mean many idea I okay
062so we kind of have an idea of what we want to do this is a real goal to the 27 are meeting on the 27th and discuss it more kind of digest what we've already heard and so then should we at that meeting and/or at the February 3rd meeting that if you know to the public that that's an opportunity to speak into the preference one way or the other so then if you do that you would be potentially if you want to adopt a resolution you might be doing it on February 12th which would be a first resolution but that fabric also according to this is when we're supposed to be doing the second resolution for the demographer the criteria so can we do both he said we could adopt the resolution on the 27th
063regardless and and still move forward with the public hearing yeah and if you decide not to move forward for the 2020 elections after you adopt the resolution you could always amend the resolution at a later meeting you but just then of course your formal sure to the 30,000 but you can always amend the resolution my purpose would be therefore then to move forward so that as scheduled on the 27th adopt a resolution but you know get some some public input to speak into the preference from the community is there a possible way we can do Community Survey like we do on a school bond you know how we we serve the community and see if they you know words maybe will run if you can speak idea you could do a Community Survey sure I
064mean there were no prohibition on doing that it's more of the logistics of it I don't know how long that would take you'd have to hire a consultant to to do the survey but sure you could do that so we've agreed upon having a Community Survey well I mean I think a Shimano survey or the bond it was the actual poll well a survey poll whatever you call I just like to know how what community feels about this process will get a better idea also I mean perhaps maybe on the 27th have that survey that polls so that way we can bat day again get some type of you know some type of information of how the constituents that the the community feels about this sure on the 27th on the 27th or for the
06524 the beginning of the time for the meeting so then now as soon as we feel well is how does that impact our pack plus survey when does that go up or did it already go up it's already and when is it when do we want people to finish it by the other input okay I guess we're done thank you sweetheart thank you meeting is ending at 8:10 p.m.