Gerrymandering/Redistricting

While the Latino pool had been cut in half, there was still a 90.4% chance, according to Jonathan Stein of Common Cause, that the random draw would select at least one Latino. Yet, against those odds, and much to the consternation of many involved in the process, the first eight selected included zero Latino commissioners.

“We want people who are qualified and know their communities, but we also want people who reflect the community that the commission serves,” said Kiyana Asemanfar, policy manager for California Common Cause, a nonprofit group that assists cities with redistricting outreach. “That’s why we put such a heavy emphasis on the recruitment period. It’s difficult to achieve a representative commission if you don’t begin with a representative applicant pool.”

Victory! Governor Gavin Newsom signed three key bills banning local gerrymandering, expanding state voting access and setting campaign contributions in city and county elections yesterday.

SACRAMENTO – In advance of state Senate and Assembly committee votes today, a broad coalition of immigrant and good government groups announced their support for two bills authored by California Common Cause that aim to end gerrymandering at the local and county level.

AB 849, called the Fair Maps Act, requires city councils and other local governments to use standardized, fair redistricting criteria that prioritize communities when drawing district lines. SB 139, the People’s Maps Act, goes one step further and requires counties with 250,000 or more residents to establish independent redistricting commissions to draw district lines using the fair criteria.