Click on the title to see a daily roundup of news about the California redistricting process.
Stuart Rothenberg, Rothenberg Political Report: This is a good summary article of redistricting fights nationwide. Its bit on California isn’t too detail-oriented, but read it for the nationwide stuff. In short, California and Illinois are going to more than offset Republican gains in other states.
http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.com/news/article/redistrictings-bottom- line-might-surprise-you
Frank Stoltze, KPCC: The CCRC has resumed community meetings to receive citizen testimony, and is in San Diego today following meetings in Culver City, Whittier, and San Bernardino. Commissioner Filkins-Webber notes that citizens have been providing very detailed testimony, specific to the level of street boundaries.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/06/20/redistricting-hearings-fast-and-furi ous/
Katie Worth, San Francisco Examiner: A previously untold story of redistricting woes details how San Francisco’s two state senate seats are merging into one. The west side district was typically represented by an Asian incumbent, while the east side generally represented LGBT issues.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/06/redistricting-will-test-alliance s
Angela Woodall, Mercury News: The East Bay is being altered by redistricting more than just about anywhere else. Its extremely diverse population and very odd current arrangement makes for interesting shifts. Politically, not much will change, since the East Bay is so highly Democratic anyway. However, City Councilman Nat Bates of Richmond, which has been drawn into a district with Oakland, fears that his city’s numerous concerns will be ignored in favor of more populous Oakland.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_18302810?source=rss&nclick_check=1
Joe Mathews, NBC LA: The current redistricting method harms California in two main ways. 1) By removing redistricting from the hands of the California legislature, we have stolen a bargaining chip which Democrats could have used to coerce Republican votes for the budget. 2) By eliminating the seats of senior Republicans, we have weakened our Congressional delegation and thus California’s influence in Washington.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/blogs/prop-zero/Two-Ways-Redistricting-Leav es-California-Worse-Off-124195399.html
Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Oakland Tribune: Every redistricting cycle, some state senators end up in the odd situation of either running two years early or two years late due to the fact that odd-numbered senate seats are up for election at the same time, and even-numbered seats up for election two years later. The details of what happens in between are very complicated. The results, however, are not: If Sens. Desaulnier, Wolk, and Hancock do not receive even senate districts, term limits will forbid them from running again, effectively cutting their careers short by two years.There are many more details in the article.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_18313477