The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Callais decision severely weakened federal protections against racial vote dilution - the drawing of voting districts in ways that can make it harder for communities of color to elect candidates of their choice and have an equal voice in our democracy.

At the same time, we are seeing elected officials across the country manipulate district lines to protect their own political power. That makes who draws the lines - and who gets a say in the process - more important than ever.

Californians fought hard to take statewide redistricting out of the hands of politicians and put it in the hands of the people. That work created California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and established a national model for a more transparent, independent, and community-driven redistricting process.

Now we have an opportunity to bring those same principles to San Bernardino County.

SB 1414, authored by Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes, would create an independent citizens redistricting commission to draw San Bernardino County’s supervisorial districts. Instead of allowing county supervisors to have the final say over the boundaries of the very districts from which they are elected, SB 1414 would put that power in the hands of an independent commission made up of San Bernardino County residents.

The bill includes important safeguards to make sure the process is independent, transparent, and open to the public. All 14 commissioners would be San Bernardino County residents and would be screened for conflicts of interest and recent political ties. County supervisors would not appoint the commissioners.

And importantly, the public would have a meaningful voice in the process. The commission would hold at least seven public hearings before drawing a map - including at least one in every supervisorial district - and at least three additional hearings before adopting final district boundaries.

San Bernardino County is home to more than 2.2 million people and encompasses an extraordinary range of communities across a vast and diverse region. The people who live in those communities deserve the opportunity to speak directly to the independent body responsible for deciding how they will be represented.

Redistricting should serve voters - not the elected officials whose political futures can depend on where the lines are drawn.

SB 1414 would strengthen independent redistricting, increase public participation, and help ensure that San Bernardino County residents have a meaningful voice in choosing their representatives.

We need your help to get SB 1414 across the finish line.

P.S. Learn more about SB 1414 by reading our co-sponsor letter here.