January 18, 2011
Neighborhood House Association Board Member Appointed to State Redistricting Commission
-Appointee is the only representative from San Diego Selected for 14-Member Commission-
SAN DIEGO – San Diego Architect and Neighborhood House Association Board Member Lilbert “Gil” R. Ontai has been newly appointed as one of only 14 individuals to the State of California’s first Citizens Redistricting Commission. Mr. Ontai is the only San Diego resident, selected out of an initial state wide pool of over 24,000 candidates. The final commission members were announced on December 15, 2010 and began public meetings on January 12, 2011 in Sacramento.
Ontai, an award-winning architect whom has served on the Neighborhood House Association’s (NHA) board of directors for nearly four years, has received national recognition for designing low-income housing and educational facilities. In addition, Mr. Ontai has shaped the future of San Diego’s communities as a former planning commissioner for the City of San Diego. He is a lecturer at Springfield College, founding president of the Asian Business Association and the Pacific American Education & Scholastic Foundation and has served on the board of directors for many noteworthy San Diego nonprofit organizations.
“I am passionate about building a strong San Diego and empowering our communities. This new role will allow me to continue to make positive inroads for our future,” said Ontai. “The receipt of such an important honor is a true testimony to the great work we’ve done not only at NHA, but in various programs geared at strengthening our communities.”
As part of his role on the Commission, Ontai and his colleagues will have until August 15, 2011 to determine and agree on the geographic boundaries for 80 assembly districts, 40 senate districts and four State Board of Equalization districts before turning them into the Secretary of State for certification.
The roles of the commissioners include, but are not limited to:
- Holding public meetings throughout the state to solicit and hear public input
- Reviewing and discussing pertinent data used to set geographic boundaries, including census data
- Hiring and supervising staff
- Voting and approving the final maps
The districts that the commission selects will be effective for the next 10 years. More information on the state redistricting initiative can be found at www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov.