Congressional District redistricting in California will be handled this decade (and presumably thereafter) not by the duly elected representatives of the state, but by a 14-member Redistricting Commission. The Commission has already been formed, and consists of the following members:
Democrats
- Gabino Aguirre
- Maria Blanco
- Cynthia Dai
- Elaine Kuo
- Jeanne Raya
Republicans
- Vincent Barraba
- Jodie Filkins Webber
- Lilbert "Gil" R. Ontai
- Michael Ward
- Peter Yao
- Michelle R. DiGuilio-Matz
- Stanley Forbes
- Connie Galambos Malloy
- M. Andre Parvenu
The first thing to note is that there are an "equal" number of Democrats and Republicans on the Commission. The Democrats and Republicans selected the remaining four. Those four are DTS (Declines To State their party) or "Other". "Other" is not informative; it could be Green, or Tea Party. The actual balance of Democrats and Republicans on the Commission is therefore unknown, pending some digging into the four members' backgrounds.
The second thing to note is that, of California's 53 Congressional districts, 34 went Democratic in the last election. That's 64%. As such, the Commission does not represent the voting makeup of California. It is therefore undemocratic. In fact, it is highly likely that any redistricting plan produced by the Commission wold be favored, if not heavily favored, in favor of Republicans.
The actions of the Commission bear watching going forward.
Update:
Michele R. DiGuilio-Matz formerly had "ties" with the Green and Democratic Parties.
M. Andre Parvenu previously voted for candidates from the Peace and Freedom Party.
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