Number of applicants for California redistricting panel drops

Torey Van Oot
April 20, 2010

Supporters of the Citizens Redistricting Commission rejoiced when more than 30,000 Californians volunteered to serve on a first-of-its-kind panel tasked with redrawing state legislative districts after the 2010 census.

But with the supplemental application deadline closed, about 90 percent of initial applicants failed to submit completed paperwork. And a statistical breakdown of remaining candidates shows the group is proportionately less ethnically diverse than the initial pool of applicants.

After extending the deadline for applications by two weeks, the state auditor reported receiving only 2,282 completed applications an hour before Monday's 5 p.m. deadline. About 2,000 more applicants deemed eligible in round one have submitted materials, but are missing the required letters of recommendation, which had to be postmarked by Monday.

"We were expecting (the numbers) to drop. If we get 4,000 at the end of the day for a 14-member commission, I think that's still pretty good," said Margarita Fernandez, spokeswoman for State Auditor Elaine Howle.

The supplemental application included essay questions and three letters of recommendation. Applicants had to disclose past employment and political involvement for themselves and their families.

Fernandez said the extra work was meant to set apart applicants who demonstrate relevant analytical skills, an understanding and appreciation for California's regional and demographic diversity and an ability to be impartial.
Critics complained about the potential diversity of the redistricting panel after about half of the initial applicants were white men. Supporters of the process countered that with a pool of 30,000-plus applicants, the auditor's office would have more than enough eligible candidates from less-represented demographic groups.

But white males submitted nearly 60 percent of the completed supplemental applications.

The smaller pool of applications means far fewer voters from each group. The pool of African American applicants decreased from 2,563 to 162. The number of applicants who identified themselves as Latino dropped from 3,526 to 163.

None of the 34 women who identified themselves as Pacific Islanders in the first applications have submitted complete applications this round.

"We're really disappointed to see that the numbers are that low," said Christopher Punongbayan, a member of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting. "The key thing is that we do not want the voting strength of different people-of-color communities to be diluted."

Fernandez said there are still enough applicants to put together a diverse panel.

The applications will now be reviewed by a three-member group that is tasked with selecting 60 finalists by Oct. 1. The panel hopes to whittle the pool to 120 interview candidates by late summer.