Citizens Redistricting Commission
Encyclopedia
The Citizens Redistricting Commission is the redistricting
organization for the state of California
. It is responsible for determining the boundaries for 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
by voters in November 2008. The commissioners were selected in November and December 2010 and are required to complete the new maps by August 15, 2011.
Following the 2010 passage of California Proposition 20
, 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 politicians because “many safe seats in the Legislature could suddenly become competitive.”
Democrats
Republicans
Other
Daniel Claypool is the commission's executive director.
The California State Controller
collected nearly 5,000 completed applications 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 California Assembly Speaker, the California Senate President Pro Tempore, 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 State Auditor then randomly drew three Democrats, three Republicans, and two applicants from neither major party to become commissioners. Finally, these first eight commissioners selected six commissioners from the remaining applicants in the pools.
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
organization for the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is responsible for determining the boundaries for the Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization
State Board of Equalization (California)
The State Board of Equalization is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The areas of authority of the Board fall into four broad areas: sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes, and acting as an appellate body...
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
California Proposition 11 (2008)
Proposition 11 of 2008 was a law enacted by California voters that placed the power to draw electoral boundaries for State Assembly and State Senate districts in a Citizens Redistricting Commission, as opposed to the State Legislature. To do this the Act amended both the Constitution of California...
by voters in November 2008. The commissioners were selected in November and December 2010 and are required to complete the new maps by August 15, 2011.
Following the 2010 passage of California Proposition 20
California Proposition 20 (2010)
A California Congressional Redistricting Initiative, Proposition 20 was on the November 2, 2010 ballot in California. It was approved by 61.2% of voters. Election officials announced on May 5 that the proposition had collected sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot...
, the Commission was also assigned the responsibility of redrawing the state's U.S.congressional district boundaries in response to the congressional apportionment
United States congressional apportionment
United States congressional apportionment is the process by which seats in the United States House of Representatives are redistributed amongst the 50 states following each constitutionally mandated decennial census. Each state is apportioned a number of seats which approximately corresponds to its...
necessitated by the
2010 United States Census.
The Commission has faced opposition from politicians because “many safe seats in the Legislature could suddenly become competitive.”
Membership
The commissioners are:Democrats
- Gabino Aguirre
- Angelo Ancheta
- Maria Blanco
- Cynthia Dai
- Jeanne Raya
Republicans
- Vincent Barraba
- Jodie Filkins Webber
- Lilbert “Gil” R. Ontai
- Michael Ward
- Peter Yao
Other
- Michelle R. DiGuilio
- Stanley Forbes
- Connie Galambos Malloy
- M. Andre Parvenu
Daniel Claypool is the commission's executive director.
The California State Controller
California State Controller
The State Controller is the Chief Financial Officer of the State of California in the United States. The post has broader responsibilities and authority than the California State Treasurer...
collected nearly 5,000 completed applications 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 California Assembly Speaker, the California Senate President Pro Tempore, 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 State Auditor then randomly drew three Democrats, three Republicans, and two applicants from neither major party to become commissioners. Finally, these first eight commissioners selected six commissioners from the remaining applicants in the pools.