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City of Grover Beach Adopts First District Map with Help From Tripepi Smith

Tripepi Smith was called upon by the City of Grover Beach to aid in the outreach efforts for the City’s districting process. After nine months of community meetings and public map drawing, the City completed the district formation process by adopting Plan 901 in March 2022, establishing a new City Council district map and district-based elections.

“Since districting was entirely new to our community, we wanted to ensure our residents understood how this would change our municipal elections and how they could actively participate in the process,” commented Grover Beach City Manager Matthew Bronson. “We knew we could rely on our trusted consultants, Tripepi Smith, to educate the public and empower residents to make their voices heard throughout this important process. The success of their outreach efforts is evident in the 40 maps received from the public and we appreciate Tripepi Smith’s diligent efforts to engage the community in adopting district lines that will shape the future of the City Council for the next 10 years.”

The process for districting requires a more robust set of timelines and rules comparative to redistricting, which is dictated by the Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions (FAIR MAPS) Act. Led by Business Analyst Sydni Overly with support from Business Analyst Allison Torres, the Tripepi Smith team launched an extensive outreach plan in English and Spanish to meet the set requirements, which consisted of:

• Creating a dedicated website for the redistricting process: GroverBeach.org/Districting
• Holding a virtual community workshop to gather public input on communities of interest and provide a demonstration of the mapping tools
• Producing and distributing an informational mailer to every Grover Beach resident that included a paper map
• Posting one districting social media post per week for nine months
• Running two Facebook advertisements promoting the community workshop and map submissions
• Phone and email outreach to community-based organizations and stakeholders to share educational material on districting, including press releases
• Distributing flyers to encourage public participation at the public hearings
• Regular updates on the districting process featured in five editions of the e-newsletter
• Partnering with the South County Chambers of Commerce to share social media and press releases with local businesses and their community connections

Tripepi Smith met regularly with the City and National Demographics Corporation to review the feedback and comments that were received and strategize outreach efforts, as well as plan and prepare for the four public hearings and virtual workshop that took place.

“Grover Beach is committed to maintaining transparency with its community and we were proud to partner with them to support their overall goals,” commented Sydni. “It was an honor to work with Grover Beach and assist in the successful completion of its first and historic districting effort.”

About the City of Grover Beach

Grover Beach is a coastal town in San Luis Obispo County known for its natural beauty. Part of the “Five Cities” metropolitan area, Grover Beach has a population of approximately 13,500 and shares fire department services with neighboring Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande and Oceano.