SANTA ANA, CA — The 14 member Independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission will hold a public input meeting in Santa Ana on May 6, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the City Council Chambers at 22 Civic Center Plaza. The Commission was created by California voters to draw state Congressional, Assembly, Senate and Board of Equalization Districts.
Public participation in drawing these districts is critical to ensuring that communities have the strongest voice possible to express their preferences. When voters with similar interests are drawn into a district together, their voices multiply giving them a greater opportunity to express their views, elect candidates of their choice and hold their leaders accountable.
For example, the current 47th Congressional District represented by Loretta Sanchez will need to have 702,904 people, The 47th District could be drawn cleanly by taking all of Santa Ana (324,528), all of GG (170,883), Anaheim west of the State College (appox 225,000), and the total population would be 720,411 (just over what is needed). This would be a very neat, line-wise, district. It would also preserve the character, and commmunities of interest that currently exist.
The Commission is taking testimony from local area residents before drawing its first round of draft maps which will be released in June. Final district maps must be certified by the Commission and presented to the Secretary of State by August 15, 2011.
Citizens wishing to provide testimony to the Commission can learn more about how to effectively present information by going to www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov . To assist you in providing your presentation, we have developed a “Toolkit” which you will find on the home page under “Upcoming Events.”
Seems to me that your example violates a few of the cannons of the redistricting committee.
(a) No consideration of incumbents’ or candidates’ residences
(b) Cracking: Where a minority community is split into two or more districts so that the minority community does not constitute a significant portion of any district
(Viet’s split between two districts)
(c) Packing: Where there is over concentration of a minority population into a suboptimal
number of districts
(concentrating Latino voters for one candidates benefit.)
Just think, if the committee can come up with workable districts that stand the court challenges expected, and the voters get back involved with the election process, then proposition 140 passed in 1990 can be repealed and experienced legislators can be kept in Sacramento.
Cook, you are missing that Latinos are not packed by district. Central Orange County is predominantly Latino. If I were proposing that a gerrymandered district be created to make a minority a majority I would see your point. You seem to be suggesting packing the Vietnamese community into one district to dilute a Latino plurality. My proposal maintains communities of common demographics whole.
I guess that we will see how the current maps are shaping up.
It seems to me that there is enough Latino’s to make 2 districts without taking 40 percent of the Viets, Korans and other Asian committees and diluting them into the current Latino district.
I am sure people will freak out when they see that county and city lines are mostly ignored because of the requirements of VRA and “Local community of interest” coupled with Equal population and Race and ethnicity as the highest priorities