Leg 60 One of 8 of the least populated House Districts

Federal Laws mandate that at the time of the census and redistricting each district be
approximately equal in population.  Over the 10 years until the next re-districting
the population shifts.

The following 8 House Districts are the least populated House
Districts in the state at this time and will probably have to be combined with
other House districts in order to comply with the laws mandating equal populations in
each district.
Utah Data Points

District (incumbent, party, county)	2010 population	Ideal population	Difference
49 (D. Brown, R, Salt Lake)	27,228	36,852	-9,624
4 (Butterfield, R, Cache/Rich)	28,046	36,852	-8,806
48 (Christensen, R, Salt Lake)	28,348	36,852	-8,504
46 (Poulson, D, Salt Lake)	28,377	36,852	-8,475
63 (Sanpei, R, Utah)	28,493	36,852	-8,359
28 (King, D, Salt Lake)	29,137	36,852	-7,715
45 (Eliason, R, Salt Lake)	29,393	36,852	-7,459
60 (Daw, R, Utah)	29,398	36,852	-7,454

Utah's Growth in the Last 10 Years in the Congressional Seats

Utah Data Points

Utah Data Points blog (link above) How Has Utah's Population Grown since 2000? lists the following information and map above.  In my opinion this map clearly shows the population grown in Utah which should be represented in the new redistricting boundaries set for the next 10 years.

The Daily Herald Newspaper has done an opinion piece called Utah County a Natural District
"The head of the redistricting panel, Rep. Ken Sumsion, R-American Fork, has floated his own trial balloon: A district that would include all of Utah County, plus a slice of southeast Salt Lake County to bring it up to the required population size of 690,000 people.
That doesn't make as much sense as a district that would include all of Utah County, plus Wasatch County and a slice of Juab County.
For many people, the ideal congressional district is a natural cultural, demographic, geographic and political unit. Utah County comes about as close to that as any place in America. It has a very strong cultural identity that in turn shapes its demographics, and the Point of the Mountain has long been a significant line of demarcation."

The Herald opinion includes other good points such as age of Utah County residents, second youngest in the nation, and natural borders.  Daily Herald Opinion


This is from Utah Data Points blog
"As shown in the table below, the 3rd district is overpopulated by 275,261 people. But even the least populated district (the 2nd) will need to shed 200,002 people in order to draw a fourth district. With each district losing between 22% and 28% of its population to the new district, a wholesale redrawing of district lines is likely."

District	2010 population	Ideal population	Difference
1	906,660	690,971	+215,689
2	890,993	690,971	+200,002
3	966,232	690,971	+275,261
4	0	690,971	-690,971

Utah Data Points by Adam Brown

Utah Data Points is a blog by

About Adam Brown

Adam Brown is an assistant professor of political science at Brigham Young University and a research fellow with the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy.   Utah Data Points

This blog will feature the following posts regarding redistricting in Utah and will post something almost
every weekday.

• Will Utah’s redistricting committee be biased? (We posted this a few weeks back.)
• How has Utah’s population grown since 2000?
• Which counties will gain or lose seats in the Utah legislature?
• Could Republicans win all four U.S. House districts?
• Which counties have moved most to the right?
• Will redistricting hurt Democrats in the state legislature?
• How will Hispanic growth affect redistricting?
• Did the Utah Legislature really gerrymander Rep. Matheson’s district in 2001?
• What does a partisan gerrymander (not) look like? (or “Is there any possible district map that would give Democrats one seat in Utah County?”)

So keep us in your feed readers. We’ll be posting something almost every weekday for the next couple weeks.



Redistricting Hearing Provo Utah June 22 6:00 P.M. Centennial Middle School Auditorium 305 East 2320 North, Provo, Utah

Redistricting Hearing Provo Utah June 22 6:00 P.M. Centennial Middle School Auditorium 305 East 2320 North, Provo, Utah

Total U.S. population = 308,745,538

Total resident Utah population = 2,763,885

Assuming the Legislature keeps the House at 75 members and the

State School Board at 15, ideal district sizes for redistricting in 2011 

will now be:

Congress – 690,971

State Senate – 95,306

State House – 36,852

State School Board – 184,259

 
Wednesday June 22, 2011 is one of only two redistricting hearings
scheduled in Utah County and the only one still remaining.

This is your chance to make suggestions, and or comment on the boundaries
they may be considering. 

redistrictutah.com

Wednesday, June 15th
6:00 p.m.
Salt Lake Library Auditorium
 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah


Wednesday, June 22nd
6:00 p.m.
Centennial Middle School Auditorium 305 East 2320 North, Provo, Utah

Wednesday, July 20th
6:00 p.m.
Glendale Middle School, 1430 West Andrew Avenue, Salt Lake City

Tuesday, July 26th
6:00 p.m.
Park City High School, 2700 Kearns Boulevard, Park City

redistrictutah.com draw your own maps

First Lady Michelle Obama replaced food pyramid with the plate

After almost two decades, the USDA food pyramid is history. First Lady Michelle Obama today unveiled the USDA's update on America's visual nutrition guide, replacing the familiar - and much maligned - pyramid with a plate.

The new design incorporates seven key dietary messages:
- Enjoy your food, but eat less
- Avoid oversized portions
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks
- Make at least half your grains whole grains
- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals - and choose the foods with lower numbers.

CBS      New York Daily News      USDA Choose My Plate

As a former Home Economics teacher, I can't resist posting this dramatic change in the

USDA recommended guidelines.   This change is consistent with Michelle Obama's

childhood obesity focus.

Not everyone agrees that the food pyramid should go, but looking at the obesity rate

in the United States, not only in adults, but also children and teenagers, it would appear

the "former" food pyramid was not creating a healthy nation.

There have been numerous changes to the food pyramid over the years and CBS has

a picture/image history of some of the changes to the USDA food pyramid guidelines.

In my opinion, the USDA guidelines have not been a guiding force in most people's eating

habits in the past, but maybe this new change that initially appears easier to understand

for both children and adults, will actually impact America's eating habits.

Utah's Four Day Work Week Ends September 6, 2011

Gary Herbert sent a letter to state employees announcing the state will be back
on a five day work week starting September 6, 2011.


Utah Legislature voted last month to override the Governor's veto of a
bill requiring state agencies to reopen on Fridays. The bill would have
allowed agencies to keep some employees on a work week of four
10-hour days, however Herbert said the legislature didn't allocate any extra funding
for the bill and so due to costs involved.  the state will go back to a five day work
week.

 KSL                 Salt Lake Tribune

Provo City and Spanish Fork cities tried the four 10 hour day work weeks years ago
and both cities found that some city offices needed to be open on Fridays.  They then
kept offices open four 10 hour days with offices open on Fridays and rotated employees
to cover.  Provo City did not allocate any extra money to departments to cover the
extra hours on Friday.

I wonder how many more government agencies will try a four day work week or how
soon the state will try it again.

Flooding in Utah Cartoon by Pat Bagley June 2, 2011

 

 

This Pat Bagley editorial cartoon appears in The Salt Lake Tribune 

on Thursday, June 2, 2011.  Salt Lake Tribune

Governor Gary Herbert toured the Utah flooded areas earlier in the week

and appeared on several televised news broadcasts.