Press Release

Today, Common Cause announced Jessica Hernandez-Beltran, 28, of Mecca, California as the first-place winner of the 2021 Artivism Contest. The competition was designed by the Common Cause Student Action Alliance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Common Cause and the passage of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Today California Common Cause issued a letter to the Los Angeles City Council, urging leaders to create an independent redistricting commission. The letter highlights that the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (LACCRC)’s members are appointed by city council offices and the final district maps will be approved by the City Council. This dynamic has led to extreme political interference, hindering the community-driven process the commission was created to foster.

Mehta Stein will be one of 26 commissioners bringing their expertise to California 100, a new statewide initiative on long-term planning and visioning for California’s future.

Today, redistricting reform proponents, civil rights groups, and grassroots organizations from across the state filed an amicus letter in support of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission's emergency motion asking the California Supreme Court to extend the Commission's redistricting deadline in light of unprecedented Census delays.

After record voter turnout for the November 2020 elections, more than 360 voter suppression laws to limit access to the ballot box have been introduced by legislators in 47 states. Against this backdrop of voter suppression, a new report from California Common Cause shares another story: how California moved swiftly to strengthen access to the ballot in the 2020 general election during the pandemic.    

Synchronizing City, State and Federal Elections Improved Civic Engagement