State Senate to vote on redistricting plan

State Senate to vote on redistricting plan

Fresno Bee, The (CA)

June 29, 2006

Maze ... Costa ... Nunes ... Florez ... Denham ... Arambula ... Parra.

The names of these lawmakers might sound familiar. But who represents YOU?

The confusion is understandable.

Left up to the state Legislature, the legislative and congressional boundaries in California look more like a jigsaw puzzle than an easy-to-read government road map. Both parties benefit under the redistricting system, which has long been criticized as more dedicated to protecting incumbents than to serving voters.

Today, the state Senate is expected to vote on the latest proposal to overhaul the system. And although other plans have been criticized and rejected through the years -- including a Gov. Schwarzenegger proposal last November -- this one's getting pretty good reviews.

"I think it's a significant step towards reform," said Shakari Byerly, a project manager at the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies.

The legislation, Senate Constitutional Amendment 3, would strip lawmakers of the power to draw their own districts, giving the responsibility instead to an independent commission selected mostly by judges.

The 11-member commission would start drawing the new boundaries in 2011 after new census data are released.

Their goal, according to the legislation, would be to define boundaries that are compact, use "geographic features" -- such as city and county boundaries -- and comply with voting-rights laws, among other criteria.

The commission also would be asked to keep together "communities of interest," defined as populations who share the same values, interests, backgrounds and culture. In short, it would keep important historical neighborhoods from being chopped up.

The legislation is authored by Sens. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach , and Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield.

Under the current system, the state Legislature redraws boundaries every 10 years. In effect, incumbents are able to protect their own seats.

"The elected officials pick their voters instead of the voters picking their elected officials," said David Schecter, a political science professor at California State University , Fresno . He supports the new legislation.

"This is a good bill," said Schecter, who has written extensively about redistricting . "This is the kind of bill California has needed for 20 years."

The legislation must pass the Senate and Assembly and be approved by voters. The authors are targeting November's ballot.

In November, voters rejected the last attempt at change. Pushed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, Proposition 77 would have left redistricting up to a panel of three retired judges, who would draw new districts for the 2006 elections instead of waiting for the next census in 2010. Opponents criticized it as a power grab by the governor.

Schecter, who opposed Prop. 77, said the new plan puts more sunshine on the process. The legislation calls for the commission to meet in public and display the redistricting map for 30 days before finalizing it.

The proposal hasn't gotten a warm reception from everyone.

It is opposed by the National Association of Latino Elected Appointed Officials and by the Los Angeles County Chicano Employees Association. The association says the commission should hold four public hearings before presenting its map and that commissioners should have some experience in redistricting .

Byerly agrees that there is room for improvement. She wants an even more independent commission. The legislation allows legislative leaders some say over the final selection.

Senate debate could center on the "nesting" requirement, the concept of two Assembly districts fitting into each Senate district. The National Association of Latino Elected Appointed Officials wants the provision removed because it believes it harms minority representation.

Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, a longtime critic of the current system, said he wants nesting included. He said it allows for voters to easily identify who represents them. He points to his own district, which stretches from Lodi to eastern Fresno County and includes seven Assembly districts.

"That's confusing to a lot of people," he said. "They wonder whose district they're in."

The reporter can be reached at eschultz@fresnobee.com or (916) 326-5541.

INFOBOX

Redrawing lines

New legislation would create an 11-member commission to redraw congressional, state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts. The makeup of the commission would be four Democrats, four Republicans and three independents.

Here's how the commission would be selected:

Ten retired appellate judges nominate 50 candidates: 19 Democrats, 19 Republicans and 12 independents.

The four state legislative partisan leaders strike up to two candidates from the opposite party.

They then select two candidates each from their own parties, leaving eight appointees.

These eight appointees then select three appointees from the pool of 12 independents, giving the commission a total of 11 members.

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Author: E.J. SchultzBee Capitol Bureau

Section: MAIN NEWS

Page: A1

Dateline: SACRAMENTO