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March 4,
2008
South Bay Businesses Support Redistricting Reform
Proposal
 The South Bay Association of Chamber of Commerce
are joining forces with Common Cause, an organization
spearheading a campaign to reform the redistricting
method used in California for electing State
Legislators.
Click
here to visit the California VOTERS First Web site.
Every 10
years, after the census, new boundary lines for the
United States Congress and California State Senate,
Assembly and Board of Equalization districts are
drawn. Currently, the California State Legislature
draws those lines themselves.
The
SBACC views this as a major conflict of interest.
The SBACC-supported California Voters FIRST Act aims
to eliminate the conflict of interest.
A 14-person citizens redistricting commission would
be created. The California Voters FIRST Act would
create a politically balanced Commission - 5
Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 others.
Commissioners would be chosen for their
impartiality, skills, and to reflect our State’s
demographic and geographic diversity.
The Act would protect communities, cities, and
counties. The California Voters FIRST Act would
create a list of prioritized mapping criteria for
the Commission to follow. This would ensure that our
Constitution, federal and state laws are followed.
California’s communities, cities, and counties must
be respected.
The process would be open and public. The Commission
would hold hearings to receive public input. The
California Voters FIRST Act would end the
closed-door political deals by legislators to draw
districts that protect themselves.
The California Voters FIRST Act is in the signature
collection phase. The Act will be placed on the
November 2008 ballot contingent upon the required
number of signatures that must be collected by May
2008.
In summary, the California Voters FIRST Act attempts to enact
the following:
- Eliminate the conflict of interest by creating a
14-person citizens redistricting commission.
- The Commission would be politically balanced with
5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 others whose
political party is considered independent or
“other.”
- Commissioners would be chosen for their
impartiality, skills, and to reflect our State’s
demographic and geographic diversity.
- The process would be open and public. The
Commission would hold hearings to receive public
input.
- A mapping criteria will be created for the
Commission to follow which include, ranked in order,
are:
- Districts shall comply with the US Constitution,
including equal population requirements.
- Districts shall comply with the Voting Rights Act.
- Districts shall be geographically contiguous.
- The geographic integrity of any city, county, or
city and county, neighborhoods, or communities of
interest shall be respected. Communities of interest
shall not be defined as having a relationship with
incumbents, candidates, or parties.
- To the extent possible, after the above criteria
have been satisfied, districts shall be compact.
- To the extent possible, after the above criteria
have been satisfied, districts shall be nested.
The scope of the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission
includes the district drawing of the California
Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization seats in
the next redistricting cycle in 2011 and after each
decennial census. The Commission would not be
responsible for the drawing of the U.S.
Congressional districts.
Click
here to visit the California VOTERS First Web site.
May
1, 2007
South Bay Businesses Urge State Leaders to
Reform Elections
To
make California elections more competitive, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger unveiled a plan to reform the highly
politicized process of drawing legislative and
congressional districts. Schwarzenegger's proposal was
released just over a year after voters soundly rejected
his previous redistricting effort as part of a slate of
government-reform measures in his 2005 special election.
Democrats have been less than enthusiastic about
redrawing lines. They expressed some skepticism about
the plan, but pledged to work with the governor.
Currently, state lawmakers are responsible for drawing
the district lines, as well as those for the state's
congressional delegation, leading critics to say
politicians are choosing their voters, rather than the
other way around.
The current district lines drawn in 2001 are widely
perceived as having been drafted to protect incumbents.
Schwarzenegger said in the past three statewide
elections, only four congressional and legislative seats
changed parties out of 459 races. One of the groups
backing the governor's proposal is Voices of Reform.
Fred Keeley, a former Democratic assemblyman from Santa
Cruz -- and who was widely considered a victim of the
2001 map-drawing -- is a representative of the group.
Schwarzenegger's proposal calls for creating an
11-member citizens commission -- no politicians or
lobbyists allowed -- to oversee drawing district lines.
The pool of potential commissioners would be nominated
by various county and city elections officials.
Position
The SBACC supports efforts to make California
elections more competitive by reforming the highly
politicized process of drawing legislative and
congressional districts.
1. A redistricting panel shall be created ant it should
be non-partisan
2. The process should include Congressional Districts
3. Create logical boundaries (clustering) with a minimal
numbers of assembly districts within Senate districts
Key Reasons for Redistricting Reform
1. Redistricting holds legislators accountable
2. Redistricting allows voters to select legislators-not
legislators to select voters
3. Redistricting allows for non-partisan decision-making
4. Redistricting creates competition
5. Redistricting allows elected officials to be closer
to the voter
6. Efficient government begins with citizens having a
clear understanding of who represents them
7. Legislators are not forced to compromise under the
current system
8. Redistricting establishes more moderate elected
officials
9. Our current system is not a clear representation of
California voters |
