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Merced Forward Together Map Justification

BY
Jan 20, 2022

Merced Forward Together Map Justification

Communities for a New California Education Fund and Power California have brought residents together to inform a new city map that prioritizes keeping communities of interest whole, providing a more accurate balance of representation, and would ensure a smaller percentage of population deviation. 

The Merced Forward Together map reflects community of interest notes from residents. An outline of specific changes are included below district by district.

District 1

The Merced Forward Together map brings together rural areas and residential areas into District 1 that includes diverse Hmong, Black, and Latino communities of interest and are in closer proximity to Highway 99. The shared boundary of District 1 and 2 has been moved to follow G Street down to W Swallow Street to balance each district's population. 

The main district line division between District 1 and 2 will be G Street and from Highway 99 to Cone Avenue. We are making sure that District 1 schools, parks, and churches in these areas remain together at the request of Yosemite Parkway community families. The Grove community wants to make sure all local businesses around this neighborhood, including a range of hotel branches that generate income for our families, remain in this area as well. 

District 1 areas include: 

  • South West Merced 
  • Golden Valley High School 
  • Grove low-income Community apartments 
  • Dwight Amey neighborhood 
  • Yosemite Parkway apartments 
  • Yosemite Parkway Churches 
  • Farmdale community in South Merced 
  • Unincorporated Areas of Merced 
    • Clovis Cemetery area 
    • Outsides of Merced with Boardline to el Nido CA 

District 2

District 2 fully brings together all of South Merced including the rural areas and fields in the south. District 2 is a coalition district that includes an intersection of multiple communities of interest such as Latino, Asian, and Black, low-to-middle income, multigenerational families working in the City of Merced. 

District 2 areas include:

  • Merced Fairgrounds
  • Mcnamara Park community
  • Merced Valley community
  • Merced Regional Airport surrounding area
  • Golden Valley Clinics community
  • Tenaya Middle School surrounding community

District 3

This district brings together neighborhoods in Downtown Merced. District 3's north border is extended to W. 27th Street and Robinson Drive to keep both Hoover Middle School and John Muir Elementary together. The southern border is Highway 99. From the Westside it curves into Yosemite Parkway Avenue and the Eastside goes to Highway 59. 

District 3 areas include:

  • Courthouse neighborhoods 
  • Santa Fe apartments 
  • Merced Applegate neighborhoods 

District 4

District 4 includes diverse neighborhoods comprised of both middle and higher-income neighborhoods. The new boundary of Districts 4 and 6 follows E. Yosemite Avenue, Paulson Road, and El Portal Drive, which accounts for the growing population. The new boundary of District 4 and 5 is G Street and Park Avenue. 

District 4 areas include:

  • Castle Apartment neighborhood 
  • Creekside Apartment neighborhoods 
  • El Portant neighborhoods 
  • Moraga neighborhood 
  • Summer Creek Homes 
  • Mckee neighborhoods 
  • Bob Carpenter neighborhood 
  • Rahilly neighborhoods 
  • Burbank neighborhood

District 5

In this map, District 5 includes more working families from North Merced. The new southern boundary of District 5 follows Snelling Highway south-bound until it reaches NW Bear Creek Drive – the boundary then follows the creek until it meets the enacted line. This was done to keep all commercial/shopping centers together. 

The Latino and Black communities of interest are included in District 5’s “Loughborough”:

  • This district gives a stronger voice to Black and Latino communities. 
  • The district has a high concentration of low-income renters and a notable cluster of generational homeowners.
  • This district keeps the neighborhoods surrounding the shopping area whole and aligned with further-north areas with similar interests. 

District 5 areas include: 

  • Merced High School 
  • Loughborough neighborhoods 
  • Fahrens Park neighborhoods 
  • El Portal community 
  • Willowbrook Apartments neighborhood 
  • Woodbridge Place Apartments 
  • Heritage West Apartments neighborhood 
  • Merced Gardens Apartments neighborhood 
  • Brierwood Apartments neighborhood 
  • Yosemite apartments neighborhood 
  • Meadowlark Apartments 
  • Merced Meadows Apartments

District 6

District 6 includes both middle and higher-income neighborhoods. This district has experienced the most growth with a population increase of 15.88% since 2010, predominantly driven by student housing needs for UC Merced and Merced Community College students. To account for the population increase, the new boundary of District 4 and 6 follows E. Yosemite Avenue, Paulson Road, and El Portal Drive creating a -2.44% population deviation in District 6. 

District 6 areas include: 

  • El Capital High School surrounding area 
  • COMPASS POINTE neighborhood 
  • The Villages neighborhoods 
  • El Redondo area 
  • Bellevue Ranch neighborhoods