CA Independent Redistricting Commissions Part II:
Local Redistricting Commissions
In the last Voter, we looked at the CA Citizens’ Redistricting Commission (CRC), which draws district maps for Congress, the CA state legislature, and the Board of Equalization.
When the CA Fair Maps Act became law in 2019, it established that local redistricting -- for boards of supervisors, city councils, school boards, etc. -- must follow many of the same rules and guidelines required of the CRC. It also authorized, but did not require, certain local legislative bodies to create advisory, hybrid, or independent commissions to draw the lines or assist in drawing the lines. (Legislation to require independent commissions in counties above a certain population has so far failed to become law.)
Boards of Supervisors
After the 2020 Census, four CA counties used types of independent commissions to draw new supervisor districts:
- San Diego County: 14 citizen applicants were chosen for a bi-partisan commission, held public hearings, and settled on a final map.
- Los Angeles County: a 14 member citizens’ commission drew the new supervisor district lines.
- Santa Barbara County: an 11 member citizens’ commission voted unanimously to adopt a new map.
- San Francisco County/City: a Redistricting Task Force of 9 members appointed by the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, and Elections Commission, had some difficulty but produced a new map over-deadline in April 2022.
In addition to the four independent commissions, 22 of CA’s 58 counties used advisory commissions to assist the Board of Supervisors. The committees/commissions had differing duties, ranging from holding public meetings and gathering data to drawing maps. But in all cases, the final decision on the new map was left in the hands of the Supervisors. (See Staff Report to Butte County Board of Supervisors, Agenda, April 12, 2022.)
Note: The Butte County Board of Supervisors did not use a commission; instead the Board hired a consulting firm which conducted outreach and prepared draft maps; members of the public and supervisors also submitted maps. On Dec. 14, 2021, a map was approved on a 3-2 vote amid charges and denials of partisan gerrymandering, a practice forbidden under the CA Fair Maps Act.
City Councils: In several CA municipalities, including those listed here, independent commissions drew the city council districts:
Berkeley, Chula Vista, Escondido, Long Beach, Martinez, Modesto, Oakland, Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara.
More news & info on local redistricting:
How Local Independent Commissions are Changing California Redistricting, CalMatters, Oct. 26, 2021
“[The Fair Maps Act] has created a tool for local communities to demand their rightful place in the process,” [Johnathan Mehta Stein of Common Cause] told CalMatters. “Generally speaking, independent commissions pretty consistently take community input seriously and do the work of hearing from the public in a robust way.”
What You Need to Know About Redistricting in the City of Sacramento, CapRadio, Nov. 11, 2021
“Oftentimes people say that governments don't listen to them and they're not in a position of power,” [Community Engagement Manager Lynette] Hall said. “Now the power is completely in the hands of the community. The council members have no impact on the decisions that the Sacramento Independent Redistricting Commission makes.”
Escondido Approves New Electoral Map, Coast News Group, March 25, 2022
“Several public outreach meetings were held beginning earlier in January to gather community input regarding the redistricting process. Several different visualizations of maps were introduced throughout this time, and the one that received the most approval was Map Visualization 2E [the map eventually approved as final].”
Redistricting: Independent Commission Overview, Staff Report to the Butte County Board of Supervisors, April 12, 2022
Common Cause Local Government Redistricting Toolkit
LWVC Education Fund Fair Maps CA Local Redistricting Toolkit
Why are Independent Redistricting Commissions Important to Democracy?
“Gerrymandering happens when the election district boundaries are drawn in a way that gives a particular set of people - like a political party or racial group - an unfair political advantage over another. The League of Women Voters opposes gerrymandering.
Democracy depends on voters having the opportunity to choose their representatives. When elected officials redraw the lines of their own districts, they get to design their own territory and choose who their voters are. This distorts representative democracy. It can lead to manipulation of various types. Racially discriminatory manipulation weakens the voting strength of targeted minority communities. Partisan manipulation favors one political party over another.
The League of Women Voters believes that to be fair, districts should be drawn in a transparent manner by politically independent special commissions that use unbiased criteria to help keep communities intact and to ensure that everyone is equally represented.”
Submitted by Satsie Veith
