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The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is the Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization districts in the state. The 14-member commission consists of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four commissioners from neither major party. The commission was authorized following the passage of California Proposition 11, the Voters First Act, by voters in November 2008.[1] The commissioners were selected in November and December 2010 and were required to complete the new maps by August 15, 2011.[2]
Following the 2010 passage of California Proposition 20, the Voters First Act for Congress, the Commission was also assigned the responsibility of redrawing the state's U.S.congressional district boundaries in response to the congressional apportionment necessitated by the 2010 United States Census. The Commission has faced opposition from some politicians because their districts would no longer be "safe", that is, they would not be gerrymandered to assure their re-election.[3]
The Commission certified new electoral district maps by the August 15, 2011 deadline with the required “supermajority” of a minimum of three Democrats, three Republicans, and three commissioners from neither major party, as stipulated by Article XXI sections 2(c) and 2(g) of the California Constitution. Maps for the state legislative districts passed with a 13-1 vote, and for Congressional districts with a 12-2 vote.[4] In response to a series of legal challenges, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously three times in favor of the Commission’s maps, finding them in compliance with the U.S. Constitution and California Constitution.[5][6][7] In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice granted preclearance of the Commission’s maps under Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act.[8] The new districts took effect for the June 12, 2012 primary.[9] Republican sponsors put a referendum on the Senate map on the November 6, 2012 ballot as Proposition 40, but have since reversed their position and are no longer opposing the new districts.[10][11]
While the long-term results will bear out over time, independent studies by the Public Policy Institute of California, the National Journal, and Ballotpedia have shown that California now has some of the most competitive districts in the nation, creating opportunities for new elected officials.[12][13][14] For example, the uncertainty caused by the new districts combined with California’s “top two” primary system has resulted in half a dozen resignations of incumbent Congressional representatives on both sides of the aisle, a major shake-up of California’s Capitol Hill delegation.[15][16] In addition, it has forced a number of intra-party races, most notably a showdown between two of the state’s most powerful House Democrats, Representatives Howard Berman and Brad Sherman.[15][17][18] In the previous 10 years, incumbents were so safe that only one Congressional seat changed party control in 255 elections,[15] due to bi-partisan gerrymandering after the redistricting following the 2000 Census.[19][20][21] It is predicted that some of the newly elected politicians will be particularly well-suited for national politics since they will be forced to find positions that please moderate and independent voters to remain in office.
In November 2008, California voters passed Proposition 11, authorizing a state redistricting commission.[1] The California Bureau of State Audits (BSA) adopted regulations on 20 October.[22] The Applicant Review Panel was randomly selected on 16 November. The initial application period to apply to be on the commission began on 15 December and continued through 16 February.[23] The BSA issued more regulations in 2010 dealing with how the first 8 commissioners would select the remaining 6.[24] The required supplemental application period began on 17 February and continued through 19 April.[23] California Proposition 20 was passed in 1 November.[23]
The California State Auditor collected nearly 5,000 completed applications out of over 30,000[25] for the commission. A three-member panel of auditors reviewed the applications and conducted interviews to establish a pool of 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans, and 20 applicants from neither major party. The panel submitted the list of 60 of the most qualified applicants to the Legislature on September 29, 2010.[23]
The speaker of the California State Assembly, the president pro tempore of the California State Senate, and the minority party leaders in the Assembly and the Senate, as authorized by the law, jointly reduced the pools to 12 members in each pool. The Legislature submitted a list of applicants remaining in the pool on 12 November.[23] The State Auditor then randomly drew three Democrats, three Republicans, and two applicants from neither major party to become commissioners on 18 November.[23] Finally, these first eight commissioners selected six commissioners from the remaining applicants in the pools on 15 December.[23][26]
The Voters First Act and Voters First Act for Congress amended Article XXI section 2(d) of the California Constitution to establish a set of rank-ordered criteria that the Commission followed to create new districts:
In addition, incumbents, political candidates or political parties cannot be considered when drawing districts. Article XXI section 2(b) of the League of Women Voters, California Forward, Common Cause, the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber), Equality California, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and the Sierra Club. Over 20,000 written public comments were submitted through the wedrawthelines.ca.gov website, via email or fax.[27]
Since the process was open, partisans were among those who attempted to influence the Commission during the public hearing process to ensure the resulting districts were drawn in their favor. In a much-cited article, the investigative journalism publisher ProPublica found evidence that the California Democratic Party leaders coordinated with community groups to testify in front of the Commission, and concluded that these efforts had manipulated the process.[28][29][30][31][32][33][34] While the California Republican Party was quick to call for an investigation, other political observers were less surprised and noted that similar Republican efforts during the hearing process were simply less effective.[35][36][37][38] In a response to the story, the Commission stated that it “had its eyes wide open” and “were not unduly influenced by that.”[39][40]
Daniel Claypool was the commission's executive director.[41] The commissioners are:[42]
California Democratic Party, California State Legislature, California State Senate, Toni Atkins, Chris Holden
California Democratic Party, California State Legislature, California State Assembly, Kevin de León, Jean Fuller
California State Legislature, California, California Proposition 11 (2008), Aarp, California ballot proposition
California Democratic Party, California Republican Party, California, Incumbent, Beth Gaines
California Democratic Party, California, Incumbent, Luis Alejo, Watsonville, California
California Democratic Party, California, California Republican Party, Napa, California, California State Assembly
California Democratic Party, California, Davis, California, California State Senate, San Francisco Bay Area
Democratic Party (United States), Republican Party (United States), California, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco