Drawing the Lines for State and National Representation

Gloria Angelina Castillo
Eastern Group Publications
April 28, 2011

Local Citizen Redistricting Commission meetings happening today and Friday.

While a neighborhood may consider itself whole geographically, many are split when it comes to political representation, and that’s precisely why the Citizens Redistricting Commission is taking testimony from local stakeholders at Los Angeles City Hall this evening. The Commission — the first of its kind in California history — wants to hear how Angelenos define their own “communities of interest,” one of several factors they must take into consideration when redrawing district lines.

“What we really want, at this point, is to get information from communities about a couple of things. Why they don’t like their current lines, they can talk about what they prefer in terms of representation—but what we really need from the public is for them to define what their communities of interest are,” said Maria Blanco, one of 14 citizen commissioners who will help redraw the state’s political maps before this summer is through.

“Community of interest” are neighborhood and communities that share common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for its effective and fair representation, according to the Citizens Redistricting Commission website.

Blanco told EGP that the criteria for defining “communities of interest” can vary from area to area, and include things such as the economy, transportation, pollution, school districts, language, health issues and ethnic makeup, as well as geography.

An example of a small neighborhood currently split between several elected officials is Highland Park in Northeast Los Angeles. Though only about 3½ square miles in size, it is carved up into two assembly districts, the 44th District (Anthony Portantino) and the 45th District (Gil Cedillo), and the 22nd (Kevin de León) and 21st senate (Carol Liu) districts.

Another example is East Los Angeles. Just 7½ square miles in size, it is split between four assembly, three senate and three congressional districts.

Some residents may prefer having three representatives versus one, feeling it gives them more representation. If that’s the case, they should let commissioners know so they don’t make assumptions about what is important, Blanco said.

READ THIS STORY IN SPANISH: Delinean los Nuevos Mapas para la Representación Estatal y Nacional

When defining their community, residents of East LA can say why they are or are not similar to Florence-Graham, San Marino, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Downey, Atwater or Hollywood—which are located at the extreme ends of assembly districts that currently splice East LA. Or they can say why they want East LA to be consolidated into one assembly district.

In the past, the district lines were drawn without input or accountability to communities. That changed when California voters passed Proposition 11 in 2008, which authorized the creation of a Citizens Redistricting Commission to handle the drawing of lines for state Assembly, Senate and Board of Equalization districts, and the approval of Prop 20 in 2010, which added congressional districts to the Commission’s oversight. They are required to complete the new maps by August 15, 2011.

The 14-member commission, selected using a lottery, will reconfigure districts that were manipulated through the gerrymandering of district boundaries in order to create a political advantage and influence election results by boosting or disenfranchising a particular political party, or group of constituents.

Gerrymandering is most obvious in oddly shaped districts, says Blanco, citing examples of “horse shoe” shaped districts that are formed to deliberately include or exclude some neighborhoods, and “donut holes” that are cut from the center of one district and placed in an entirely different district to create some political advantage.

In Los Angeles County, California District 38—currently represented by U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano—is sometimes considered an oddly shaped district, the result of bi-partisan gerrymandering. However, District 38 is also an example of a “minority-majority district” which is permitted under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The law allows for districts to be created to increase minority representation, like a Hispanic or African American majority, and are seen as enhancing democracy because they give minority voters the opportunity to elect a representative from their group, which had historically been impossible in majority white districts.

While the Commission cannot look solely at an area’s ethnic makeup, it must comply with provisions of the Voting Rights Act, such as the number of citizen voters, 18 years of age and older. In communities, such as those in South Los Angeles and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, which have seen dramatic shifts in population, in terms of size, ethnic makeup and age, it is likely that the Voting Rights Act and “communities of interest” requirements will be key factors in drawing district lines.

The Citizen’s Redistricting Commission meetings are an opportunity for voters to have input into the process. Participation is important because it comes down to having a political voice, said Blanco, who is also the vice president of Civic Engagement for the California Community Foundation and one of two commissioners from the Los Angeles area.

Blanco says communities of interest will trump geography slightly but the commission has many obligations when redrawing district lines, not the least of which is to make districts the same population size, with no more than one citizen voter in difference. This is done to comply with the US Constitution, and the principle of “one person, one vote,” Blanco said.

The commission is also charged with drawing contiguous districts that respect the boundaries of cities and counties and communities of interest, without regard to the impact on a political party or candidate, she told EGP.

To ensure transparency, the commission will hold no closed session meetings and all comments will be put into the record, Blanco said. Projection maps will be available for reference at the meetings; the duration of public comments is 3 to 5 minutes depending on the turnout. For those unable to attend in person, the meetings will be broadcast simultaneously online, and videos from the meetings posted on the commission’s web site.

Upcoming Redistricting Meetings:

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission held its first Southern California meeting last night in Long Beach and has six more meetings in LA County.

The meetings in EGP’s coverage area are:

—Today, Thursday, April 28, 6 to 9pm at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Third Floor.

—Tomorrow, Friday, April 29, same time, at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 Mission Drive, San Gabriel.

The other meetings will be held next weekend and on May 5 and 6 in the Cities of San Fernando, Lancaster, Norco, and Santa Ana.

The meetings are aired simultaneously online. For more information visit www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov or call 1-866-356-5217.