The amended bill is in print now: http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_1051-1100/sb_1096_bill_20120412_amended_sen_v97.pdf . The committee’s analysis isn’t posted yet.   Trudy Schafer League of Women Voters of California 916-442-7215   Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

How do I find out the “new” districts for several properties that we own? In addition, are the “new” districts in effect now or at a later date?

Answer:

You can go to the this LA Times link to find the districts you live in: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-redistricting-map-july-2011,0,3633335.htmlstory#37.42166,-119.27199999999999,6,usCongress,,,current

This link can also be found from the official website: www.wedrawthelines.com, go to the “Maps” button. You have the choice of viewing the districts across the state, zooming in through a google maps tool, or looking it up on the LA Times tool.

Through LA Times’ site, you can type in your address and the side by side map will show you what districts the address is in. The map on the left is the “current” map (2001 lines). These lines are in effect through the end of 2012. The state and congressional candidates who are running in the 2012 June and November elections are running for the “new districts” or the 2011 lines.

When are the new districts in effect? Technically, they are in effect for the candidates who are running in those districts, and really in effect when someone is elected to represent that district – so, they are in effect… now. There is an overlap period at the beginning of each candidate when the old and new districts are both in effect until people are elected to the new districts.

But it gets just a little more complicated. There is a referendum of the 2011 (“new”) Senate lines on the November 2012 ballot so there is a possibility (depending on how California voters vote) that those lines will or won’t be the lines that are in place for the rest of the decade. Since the 2011 lines for the State Assembly and congressional districts have not been challenged by referendum (and they have been twice upheld by the CA Supreme Court), we will be using the State Assembly and congressional lines drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2011 through the end of the decade (up to 2021, at least).

Whew! Hope that helps!

-Kathay Feng

California Common Cause

(213) 252-4552

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson has dismissed with predudice litigation filed against the California Citizens Redistricting Commission’s Congressional maps.

“Once again the work of the Citizens Redistricting Commission has been affirmed against baseless partisan attacks. California voters created the Citizens Redistricting Commission in order to get partisan politics out of drawing legislative and Congressional districts. The Federal Court has found that the Commission’s process complied with the law and was fair and representative,” said current Commission Chair Jeanne Raya..

“The Commission has now won five matters in a row. There are no outstanding claims against the Commission and the districts it created,” said James Brosnahan one of the lawyers representing the Citizens Redistricting Commission.

2012.02.09 Civil Minutes – General (Order to Dismiss).pdf

Jim Brosnahan, one of the lawyers who argued for the Commission, said “These fourteen citizens have done a tremendous job in a selfless and objective way and have created a precedent that not only enriches the California political system but may be used in other states in the years ahead.”

joint letter to Redistricting Commission re recommendations for future 1 17 12.pdf

Greetings,

I thought you might be interested in this small selection of articles about redistricting I’ve included from the latest issue of Urban Habitat’s national journal Race, Poverty & the Environment. (You can also read them online at http://urbanhabitat.org/18-2/redistricting-voting.)

In my piece http://urbanhabitat.org/18-2/galambos-malloy , “A Commissioner’s Perspective on California’s Redistricting,” I offer a firsthand account of how our Commission hosted hearings around the state, balanced feedback from a diverse cross-section of California communities with the voter-approved set of legal criteria, and engaged the public at every step of the transparent deliberations. This stands in stark contrast to the history of redistricting in California and other states.

Other articles in the selection discuss national trends and new opportunities for local communities to reshape their own city councils, school boards, and special districts. Feel free to post and forward the articles to others who might be interested. If you do reprint or publish the pieces, please get in touch with RP&E editor Jess Clarke at editor@urbanhabit.org to aid us in tracking them.

As you may know, the Citizens Redistricting Commission continues to defend our maps against legal challenges. On Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, we made strong arguments to the State Supreme Court against a partisan challenge to our State Senate district maps. Republican Party representatives argued that their referendum to overturn the Commission’s State Senate district maps was likely to qualify and asked the court to appoint masters to draw new districts or use the maps drawn in 2001.

Results from the counties make it clear that the referendum doesn’t come close to having enough signatures to avoid a hand count. The Commission’s view is that absent clear evidence, it would survive a hand count and that the people’s will should not be overturned.

I’m happy to answer any questions on redistricting. Please get in touch with me at connie.galambos-malloy@crc.ca.gov.

Best,

Connie Galambos Malloy, Commissioner

California Citizens Redistricting Commission Senior Director of Programs Urban Habitat

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Attached:

A Commissioner’s Perspective on California’s Redistricting By Connie Galambos Malloy

Connie Galambos Malloy is senior director of programs at Urban Habitat and the publisher of RP&E. She also serves as a Commissioner with the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

California Redistricting Preserves Black Voice in State Politics By Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Marqueece Harris-Dawson is president and CEO of Community Coalition.

Voting Rights Are Local Rights By Gil Cedillo

Senator Gil Cedillo is author of the California Dream Act and is known for his commitment to passing legislation to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license. He represents the 46th California State Assembly District.

Redistricting 2011: Latinos Want Stronger Voice Based on Numbers By Arturo Vargas

Arturo Vargas serves as executive director of the NALEO Educational Fund, an affiliated national nonprofit organization that strengthens American democracy by promoting the full participation of Latinos in civic life.

Race-Poverty-Environment-18-2-redistricting.pdf

By John Wildermuth http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/author/JohnWildermuth/

Journalist and Political Commentator

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

With partisan gridlock bogging down both Sacramento and Washington, it’s easy to wonder whether Democrats and Republicans can ever get together, look beyond what’s best for their parties and make the tough decisions they were hired to make.

Well, there’s one state body that’s shown multi-partisan, good government agreements still are possible and that’s why the 14 members of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission are my choice for Californians of the Year.

When voters passed Prop. 11 in 2008, they meant to change the ultra-partisan way the state redraws its political boundaries after every Census. For decades, the majority party had run the redistricting process, drawing lines behind closed doors to reward their friends and punish their enemies. In the words of former GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who pushed the reform plan, “We need a system where voters choose the politicians, not where politicians choose the voters.”

Pundits predicted disaster at every turn, from the Rube Goldberg-like method that the members were chosen to the required multi-partisan makeup of the commission and the need for a very specific supermajority to approve the new maps for state Senate, Assembly, Board of Equalization and (thanks to 2010′s Prop. 20) Congress.

But it worked. Between January and July, the commission held dozens of meetings across the state, not only in the usual places like Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but in cities like Norco, Hanford, Oxnard and Redding, which are typically little more than names on the map to most state commissions. And then, after coming out with proposed maps, the commission went back on the road to hear the inevitable complaints about their artwork, then used those comments to design their final maps.

By law, the committee was composed of five Democrats, five Republicans and four decline-to-state or minor party voters. Maps could only be approved with at least three votes from each of those groups.

No problem. The final vote on the maps was 12-2 for the congressional map and 13-1 for all the others. Not surprisingly, there were plenty of complaints about the final outcome. Republicans want a referendum to overturn the state Senate maps and plenty of local communities – and politicians – are unhappy with where the new lines fall.

But no decision was ever going to satisfy everyone and even the redistricting losers know they at least had a chance to make their arguments, something that never happened when the politicians were running the show.

The commission members promised transparency in their operations, a wide-ranging effort to let the people of the state be heard and then an honest attempt to look beyond party lines and follow the redistricting guidelines set by California’s voters, regardless of any political fallout.

They did what they promised and they did it on time. A state program that worked as advertised? Make those commissioners Californians of the Year.

Petition filed by Republican-funded Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting (FAIR) in state Supreme Court, the first legal challenge to the CRC maps. FAIR argued that 11 Senate districts violate “compactness” rules, 7 split counties unfairly, and Latino voters in Monterey and Santa Clara counties may not have fair representation. CRC retained Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, and George Brown, the same people that worked on the Voting Rights Act counsel, and a team from Morrison & Foerster led by James Brosnahan. FAIR is simultaneously trying to collecting 504,760 signatures by November 14 to force a referendum.

http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/PubArticleCA.jsp?id=1202514641553

“Field Poll: Redistricting Results Not on Voters’ Radars” Ben Goad and Jim Miller for The Press Enterprise

2/3 of Californians unaware or unfamiliar with the new district lines. Of the 34 percent that are aware, more support than oppose the lines drawn by CRC. As of now, FAIR has collected 200,000 of the 505,000 signatures needed for the referendum. “Dave Gilliard, the campaign consultant for the FAIR group, dismissed today’s poll results on voter attitudes toward the Senate lines. “Public polls are worthless,” he said in an email Wednesday.”

http://www.pe.com/localnews/politics/stories/PE_News_Local_D_field22.509 113.html

“House Democrats Push Legislation to Overturn Citizens United Ruling” Mike Lillis for the Hill

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/182729-house-dems-push-bill-to-overtur n-citizens-united-ruling

“A Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United?” Mike Daniels for Secular News Daily

House Joint Resolution 78 introduced by Democrats Donna Edwards and John Conyers would give Congress the right to impose content-neutral restrictions on campaigning expenditures by corporations (i.e. would not protect corporations’ right to unlimited political campaigning) The resolution reads: “Section 1: Nothing in this Constitution shall prohibit Congress and the States from imposing content-neutral regulations and restrictions on the expenditure of funds for political activity by any corporation, limited liability company, or other corporate entity, including but not limited to contributions in support of, or in opposition to, a candidate for public office.”

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2011/09/21/a-constitutional-amendment-to -overturn-citizens-united/

Jean Merl for PolitiCal (LA Times blog)

Another group of Republicans may begin petition drive (504,760 signatures in 90 days) to overturn congressional redistricting maps by a citizens commission in addition to the group that began a similar referendum drive to overturn the California Citizens Redistricting Commission’s state Senate maps

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/09/opponents-of -new-congressional-district-maps-recently-drawn-by-a-citizens-commission -may-begin-a-petition-drive-for-a-referen.html

“California Members ‘at War’ Over Redistricting”

Jonathan Strong for Roll Call Politics

New district lines have created debate within CA Republicans- Republicans Dreier, Gallegly, Royce, and Miller support the referendum while McCarthy, Campbell, Rohrabacher, and McKeon are opposed to the it, citing that the process would be expensive (the California delegation will not be seeking funds from the National Republican Congressional Committee for the effort and officials in CA are still determining what the ethical guidelines should be for raising the funds, further complicating the issue).

There would be more work to do even if the signatures were gathered and the referendum passed with the voters in Nov. 2012. Plans would be “on hold” until after 2012 elections, if the signatures were gathered in time.

“”The Supreme Court hires special masters to draw lines for the 2012 election,” Gilliard wrote. If the referendum passes, “the Court lines stay in effect for the decade. If the referendum fails, the commission lines go into effect in 2014.”" http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_26/California_Members_at_War_Over_Redi stricting-208597-1.html http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_26/California_Members_at_War_Over_Red istricting-208597-1.html>

“New congressional districts sought”

Jacqueline Howard for Hermosa Beach Patch

“If the referendum petition is signed by enough voters, it would prevent the new redistricting boundaries from taking effect unless approved by voters at the next statewide election.”

http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/new-congressional-districts-sough t-3 http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/new-congressional-districts-soug ht-3>

“Redistricting sparks big-time feuds”

Alex Isenstadt for Politico

Political infighting not exclusive to California parties- independent commissions and their new maps have created an atmosphere of uncertainty that has pitted legislators against their fellow party lawmakers. Conflicts are equally heated in states that have lost districts due to population losses, like Missouri and Louisiana, as they are in states that have gained districts, particularly Texas (4 new seats). Specifically in California, Democrats Howard Berman and Brad Sherman contesting over San Fernando Valley district. There are financial considerations for the redistricting process.

“”Raising money for redistricting isn’t one of those sexy things,” McElwain [GOP consultant, served as NRCC political director during the 2002 Pennsylvania redistricting] said.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63211.html http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63211.html