Keep counties whole.
That was the message from an overwhelming number of residents who attended a California Citizens Redistricting Commission meeting on April 13 in San Luis Obispo. The 14-member commission made a stop in SLO County to seek comments from local voters regarding the shape of the area’s political districts.
More than two dozen speakers stood before the podium—regularly occupied by the SLO County Board of Supervisors—to tell the commissioners about their various communities.
First in line that evening was Andy Caldwell, local talk radio personality and executive director of the Santa Barbara County Coalition of Labor, Agriculture, and Business.
“The No. 1 community of interest, the No. 1 geopolitical boundary that’s important to our economy is county boundaries. That’s because counties are a public, political subdivision of the state,” Caldwell said. “When those counties get split arbitrarily, it’s a problem.”
The Central Coast, he continued, is composed primarily of rural agricultural communities that grow specialized crops not cultivated anywhere else in the state.
“We can’t get the attention of Sacramento or Washington because we’re not a big metropolis,” Caldwell said, adding that some local districts are reputed as the most gerrymandered in the country.
Many other speakers—including two former state Assembly members—reiterated Caldwell’s sentiment that county lines be maintained as much as possible.
Democrat Pedro Nava and Republican Brooks Firestone blurred traditionally rigid party lines to propose together that Santa Barbara County become the 35th Assembly District. Firestone represented the district in its current form—which plunges from Buellton in mid-Santa Barbara County down to Oxnard in Ventura County—for two consecutive terms beginning in 1994. Nava, who was first elected in 2004, just left the office.
“Both Brooks and I, based on our knowledge of the district and its constituents, believe that the 35th District should match Santa Barbara County lines,” Nava told the Sun before the commission meeting. Firestone was unable to attend the meeting due to a prior engagement, but he did send a letter with Nava expressing his support.
“There are two different boards of supervisors,” Nava said. “And because the majority of voters live in Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara County voters get to pick their representation.”
During his time in office, Nava said he heard frequently from Oxnard voters who were concerned whether their city was receiving adequate political representation.
“[Oxnard is] the largest city from L.A. to San Jose, but it’s carved up into at least three different districts,” he explained. “Its political power is diluted.”
Nava argued that making Santa Barbara County the 35th Assembly District would easily satisfy the legal requirements the commission is charged with meeting, specifically one that requires districts to respect counties, cities, and other communities of interest.
“One of the most commendable things about this whole process is that it will create districts that encourage moderates,” Nava concluded.
The Citizens Redistricting Commission is the byproduct of two voter-approved ballot measures: 2008’s Proposition 11 and 2010’s Proposition 20. Before 2008, the Legislature was tasked with creating geographical boundaries for all of the state’s political districts. Approval of Proposition 11 transferred that responsibility to a commission of randomly selected individuals. Voters added U.S. congressional districts to the commission’s list by passing Proposition 20 in 2010.
To populate the commission, the California State Auditor randomly selected eight members—three Democrats, three Republicans, and two others who were either “decline to state” or registered in another party—from a pool of more than 30,000 applicants. Those commissioners then chose six more people to join them in their quest.
The commission will continue to hold community meetings through June, after which it will create draft district maps with professional line drawers. Those drafts will be subject to public review. The commission must submit its final maps to the Secretary of State by Aug. 15.
For more information about the commission, including a schedule of meetings, visit wedrawthelines.ca.gov.
Contact Managing Editor Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 21-28, 2011.