Following this year’s census, California citizens have the opportunity to redefine the state’s political landscape.
For the first time ever, the redrawing of the state’s legislative district boundaries will be taken out of the hands of the state legislatures and given directly to the people.
Created by the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission brings together 14 registered voters to take over the task of delineating the lines for State Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts.
“The intent of Proposition 11 was to create a redistricting commission that reflects California’s diversity of people and interests,” said Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Santa Monica, whose district includes UCLA. “Not only is this a great way for young people to get involved in public policy, but I think the state can benefit from having more input from people of all ages, especially our youngest voters.”
Although the commission is looking for politically-active registered voters, the bill does specify that to be eligible, participants must have voted in two of the last three general elections.
However, if applicants, or their close relatives, held public office or donated more than $2000 to a candidate, they are ineligible.
“I find it ironic that we encourage students to become involved in the political process, but then it works against them, making them ineligible to serve on one of the most important public service efforts,” said Leobardo Estrada, associate professor of urban planning at UCLA.
Although the commission was created based on the passing of Proposition 11, its creation is far from having universal support. Proposition 11 was passed with just 50.9 percent of the vote, a margin of less than 200,000 votes out of the nearly 12 million that were cast.
“Quite simply, the people who will inevitably press their agendas the strongest are likely to be as influential as any politician in furthering their goals,” said third-year English student June Dowad. “The people who want to serve on committees such as the one proposed rarely have altruistic intentions.”
The commission’s creation has garnered further controversy when it was discovered that in searching for a more diverse pool of applicants, more than $1.3 million in taxpayers’ money had been spent to advertise the commission to minority groups. Currently the applicant pool is 73.2 percent white, despite the fact that whites comprise only 42 percent of the state population.
“It is important that the commission be viewed as comprised of a representative group of fair-minded individuals,” Estrada said. “Anything less will undermine the outcome.”
Disregarding the controversy, Pavley said she considers the commission important for three key reasons: Californians made it happen, it is an unprecedented opportunity for citizens to draw the lines, and it is a momentous chance to serve on the nation’s first citizen redistricting commission.
Most important for Pavley, though, is that the commission allows for a fair representation for all Californians.
Once applicants are deemed eligible, the pool is narrowed down by government auditors to 60people, at which point legislative leaders can further eliminate hopeful participants. From that group, the auditors randomly select eight citizens by lottery, who then select the additional six members of the commission.
“History has shown us how big of an impact biases have had when the district lines are drawn,” said Monica Davila, first-year political science student. “It might be a good idea to have regular people for a change try to fix it.”
Applications for the commission went online Dec. 15, 2009 and are available until Feb. 16, 2010. For application information, visit
wedrawthelines.ca.gov.