What Hath the Redistricting Commission Wrought?

Abstract

THE CALIFORNIA Journal of Politics & Policy Commentary What Hath the Redistricting Commission Wrought? Darry Sragow* Partner, SNR Denton US LLP The way legislative districts are configured, whether at the federal, state, county, or city level, determines who holds political power. And by “who,” we refer, especially, to political parties and ethnic groups. Ballot measures passed by California voters in 2008 and 2010 shifted responsibility for drawing district lines for the state Assembly, state Senate and congressional del- egation from the admittedly self-interested state legislature and placed it in the hands of a theoretically disinterested, objective, independent citizens commission. The commis- Copyright © 2011 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved. www.bepress.com/cjpp Volume 3, Issue 3 , 2011 sion issued its new maps, reflecting the 2010 census, in mid August. So, what hath the commission wrought? A plan that does a pretty good job of reflecting the ethnic and partisan composition of California, one not all that different from what the legislature might have produced, with two no- table exceptions. First, let’s examine the consequences from a partisan perspective. Partisan Balance The leadership of California’s Republican Party, blam- ing their paltry numbers in the state Assembly, state Senate, *Darry Sragow is a frequent political commentator in print, on line, and on radio and television. He previously directed the USC/Los Angeles Times poll and has taught undergraduate political science, initially at the University of California, Berkeley and currently at the University of Southern California.