Gaines will have to move to retain state Senate district
By Gus Thomson, Auburn Journal
State Sen. Ted Gaines is planning to pull up stakes in the wake of a redistricting change that places his Roseville home inside fellow Republican Sen. Doug LaMalfa’s District 4.
Gaines said that he’ll have to move at least a quarter mile to remain in District 1 and meet state Senate residency requirements. The part of east Roseville he lives in has been shifted into District 4 as part of remapping by the California Redistricting Commission. The redistricting of electoral boundaries was finalized last week.
Ted Gaines
Gaines said that he would have to move from a residence his family has lived in for 18 years and one possibility is to relocate in Granite Bay.
But Gaines added that while he believes the newly reshaped district is a good fit – it’s about a 70 percent overlap with the old District 1 lines – there’s a possibility changes could happen if a possible referendum or court battle materialize.
“It’s a good district – very similar to District 1 now – and it will be adding Siskiyou and Shasta counties,” Gaines said. “I’m looking forward to working hard and campaigning in the district in 2012.”
LaMalfa’s rural Northern California District 4 swaps in the western portion of the city of Roseville and splits off North Auburn, Penryn, Loomis, Lincoln and Rocklin into District 1. Auburn, the eastern part of Roseville and Colfax remain in Senate District 1.
Gaines said his options are to find a home and make a short move to a District 1 location. That would allow him to potentially keep his District 1 seat, which he would run for again in 2012.