Video: California Commission Holds First Meeting. Discusses Census Delays and Accuracy

Video: California Commission Holds First Meeting. Discusses Census Delays and Accuracy

By Michelle DavisSep 09, 2020
The 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission has recently formed and sworn in all 14 of its members. Below is a clip from the first full meeting on August 26th. The entire virtual meeting is over five hours long with mostly procedural issues discussed in the first several hours. The clip below is the final 90 minutes, in which commission members were briefed on possible census delays, and a recent court decision extending the commission's deadlines for maps. Members also discussed whether to compose an amicus brief or letter of support in a recent lawsuit against the Census Bureau's plan to…
NEWS, Official Redistricting Entities, POLICY and PRACTICE, Redistricting Commissions, VIDEO, ,
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Basics: California Citizens Redistricting Commission Selection Process

Basics: California Citizens Redistricting Commission Selection Process

By Michelle DavisSep 01, 2020
The California Citizen's Redistricting Commission (CRC) selected its final members for its 14-member body on August 7. CRC will redraw the lines for California's Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts, based on information gathered during the 2020 census. The CRC must draw the districts in conformity with strict, nonpartisan rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population. The CRC's selection process is a multi-layered one conducted by the State Auditor's Office. It designed to be a mostly nonpartisan, and partly random process in which eight members are selected initially. Those initial eight members must agree on…
Official Redistricting Entities, Redistricting, Redistricting Commissions, , ,
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ACLU Warns of Voter Intimidation in Northern California County

ACLU Warns of Voter Intimidation in Northern California County

By EditorJun 17, 2016
California - The ACLU of California issued this press release (below) last week regarding the possible voter intimidation of Hmong (voters whose ethnic origins are from the mountainous regions of China and Vietnam) living in the northern regions of the state. Media Contact: (415) 621-2493 (press@aclunc.org) Since last Friday, the ACLU of California’s Voting Rights Project has been working on a grave situation in California’s northern most county – Siskiyou County – home to a large community of Hmong Americans, hundreds of whom are newly registered voters. We have reason to believe that since last Wednesday, the sheriff and other county officials have been engaged in a targeted voter intimidation campaign against…
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City in Orange County California Skips Court and Abolishes At-Large Voting

City in Orange County California Skips Court and Abolishes At-Large Voting

By EditorJun 16, 2016
San Juan Capistrano, CA - This town of around 35,000 in Orange County, California boasts a burgeoning Latino population of nearly 40%. City council members have been historically elected at-large by city voters, but a recent lawsuit field by a Latino voting rights group sparked debate and in the end, city officials agreed to elect council members by district; five districts to be exact.       The elections for the districts are staggered; two seats will be up this year. The remaining in 2018. Once all of the districts are in place, Latinos will comprise a substantial portion of two districts,…
Local Redistricting, Redistricting, , , ,
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Will the Court’s Arizona Decision Spawn More Independent Commissions?

Will the Court’s Arizona Decision Spawn More Independent Commissions?

By EditorSep 22, 2015
Now that the Supreme Court has sanctioned Independent Redistricting Commissions brought about by voter ballot intiatives, will more states follow? Is this an effective way to thwart Republican gerrymanders? Michael Sargeant and Mark Schauer ponder these questions in this article in The Hill Blog. They point out that ballot initiatives are not widely available among the states although many could benefit from voter initiatives that take the partisanship out of the redistricting equation. The best strategy according to Sargeant and Schauer is to ensure Democratic majorities in these key states. Read more.
Elections Clause, Redistricting Commissions, REFORM, ,
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ACLU Files Voting Rights Lawsuit in Fullerton, CA

ACLU Files Voting Rights Lawsuit in Fullerton, CA

By EditorMar 19, 2015
Fullerton, CA: The ACLU  filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Asian voters in the city of Fullerton, California. The suit alleges that Fullerton's at-large style elections impede the ability of Asian voters to elect their preferred candidates. Unlike, its lawsuit in Yakima, WA, this complaint is based on the California Voting Rights Act as opposed to the federal law. Read the ACLU's release from Wednesday below: Paik v. City of Fullerton is a lawsuit alleging that the City of Fullerton’s at-large elections violate the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), which prevents cities from imposing at-large elections that deny minority communities the…
Local Redistricting, Redistricting, ,
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Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Upheld by Federal Court

Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Upheld by Federal Court

By EditorFeb 25, 2015
Los Angeles - City Council President Herb Wesson was vindicated by a federal court's ruling that the council's controversial 2012 redistricting map was not an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.  Despite so-called damning video evidence submitted by plaintiffs that showed Wesson telling an audience that the map "guaranteed" at least two minority council members going forward, the court found the districts in question to be racially diverse and drawn in accordance with traditional redistricting principles. In the end, the court did not believe the entire council had racially discriminatory goals when drawing the map. Read the Article here.
Local Redistricting, Redistricting, Redistricting Criteria, Redistricting Litigation, , ,
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City of Santa Barbara Bracing for the Inevitable: Losing in Court

City of Santa Barbara Bracing for the Inevitable: Losing in Court

By EditorFeb 18, 2015
The city of Santa Barbara is bracing for the inevitable change to district elections after the at-large voting system for its city council election was challenged under the Voting Rights Act. According to the Santa Barbara Independent, the city has approved $400,000 to hire a notable voting rights attorney, not to win its lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial soon, but to prepare a new district map and perhaps negotiate a settlement. City officials point out two cities that lost in similar challenges; Palmdale and Whittier. Like many local jurisdictions around the country, formally homogeneous populations are changing rapidly…
Redistricting,
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