- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
California Citizens Redistricting Commission completes final maps for state districts
The commission drew four Board of Equalization districts, 52 congressional districts, 40 Senatorial districts and 80 Assembly districts.
All districts were drawn within the permissible population deviation.
The maps can be seen here.
The commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday and give a report on the process.
Redrawing the district lines for state and federal representation occurs every 10 years based on Census data.
The 14-member commission’s work to produce new maps began in earnest earlier this year after the final Census data was released.
“We have reached the finish line for the people’s redistricting process in California. When voters approved the Voters FIRST Act, it created a monumental shift in this decennial process,” stated Commission Chair Alicia Fernandez. “As Californians, my colleagues on this commission and I answered the call to serve for this great state we honor and love. We conclude our map drawing responsibilities with pride in our final product. We started this process leaving politics out of the equation in hopes of achieving fairer and more equitable maps. I think I speak for my colleagues when I say mission accomplished! Thank you to all that participated in this process.”
The final map for congressional districts puts Lake County into one district, District 4, whereas over the past 10 years it was split between Districts 3 and 5.
The new District 4 includes all of Lake and portions of Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. Based on the map it also appears there is a very small portion of Sacramento County in that new district.
Congressmen John Garamendi and Mike Thompson, serving the third and fifth congressional districts, respectively, have represented Lake County over the past decade.
The new map suggests Lake County’s new district will be represented by Thompson, whose home base is Napa County.
Also on Monday night, Garamendi, who has been in Congress since 2009, announced he will run for reelection to Congress in the new Solano-North Contra Costa Eighth Congressional District.
On the state level, Lake County will be included in the new Senate District 2, which stretches along the North Coast from Marin in the south to Del Norte County in the north. The state senator for the district is expected to be Mike McGuire.
For the State Assembly, Lake will be part of District 4, which also includes Colusa, Napa and Yolo, and a portion of Sacramento County. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who currently represents Lake County, lives within the newly created district and also is expected to continue to represent the county.
In accordance with the California Constitution, the commission followed criteria to draw the maps, including ensuring they are of equal population to comply with the U.S. Constitution; complying with the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minorities have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice; drawing districts contiguously; minimizing the division of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities of interest to the extent possible; and making districts geographically compact.
Where practicable, the commission said each State Senate district should be composed of two complete and adjacent Assembly districts, and the Board of Equalization districts should be composed of 10 complete and adjacent State Senate districts.
The place of residence of any incumbent or political candidate may not be considered in the creation of a map, and districts may not be drawn for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against an incumbent, political candidate, or political party, the commission reported.
The California Constitution requires public comment to be taken for at least three days from the date of public display of any final statewide maps.
Additionally, the commission shall not display any other map for public comment during that period.
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