Every 10 years, the commission redraws those state and federal district boundaries based on the latest census data.
The resulting district boundaries will determine how funding and other resources are allocated to communities.
The commission’s work is separate from a process now getting underway to redraw the Lake County Board of Supervisors’ district boundaries. At its May 11 meeting, the board approved a contract with the firm Prentice Long that’s not to exceed $35,000 to provide consulting on the county process.
Seated in August, the state commission has 14 members, including five Republicans, five Democrats and four members with no party affiliation.
Derric Taylor is one of the Republican commissioners. He’s an investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and is an active volunteer in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley areas.
Although he’s a Southern California resident, Taylor is working on outreach to counties on California’s North Coast, including Lake.
A married father of three, Taylor said he became interested in joining the commission because it’s a way of modeling how to be a good citizen for his children.
It’s also great to be a witness to the democratic process, he said.
“We’re working for everybody,” he said of the commissioners, noting he doesn’t make decisions solely for his outreach zones and that it’s his duty to consider the people of the entire state. “I’m standing up for all Californians.”
The commissioners are 14 very diverse individuals who are working hard for California, Taylor said.
As part of their work, they are meant to educate the public and also to take as much public input as possible so Californians know their voice is heard in the process and that their opinions impact the final outcome.
Taylor is keen for people to know about the commission, its process and how to participate. He said the commission wants community input to help determine what the boundaries ultimately will look like. “This is a collaborative process in order to make the best possible district lines for reaching community members.”
He added, “To the best of our abilities, given a COVID environment, we want to reach out to all areas of California.”
The outreach team is taking into account the challenges to the rural environment, like broadband, and are trying to address those concerns, he said.
The commission has a nonpartisan purpose. “The goal is fair representation, and I don’t believe that has any affiliation. That’s the ultimate goal,” Taylor said.
They’re already receiving input not just from the public at large but from government bodies like the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
At its April 6 meeting, the board adopted a resolution to send to the commission urging it to keep Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties within the same congressional district due to sharing many interests that “provide strong ties and long-term relationships among our three counties, making common representation and advocacy in a shared Congressional District truly critical.”
The resolution also said that the board found that the three counties’ residents will be best served by remaining in the same congressional district.
The commission has met so far but hasn’t yet gotten down to the work of district boundary work. So far it has focused on organization, hiring staff, holding subcommittee meetings, meeting with state leaders and setting up its community of interest — or COI — tool, which can be found on its website.
The COI tool allows anyone to draw a map, give an explanation of their community and why it should be kept in one district. That tool is available in 12 languages.
Maps that are drawn on paper also can be submitted.
The boundary drawing can’t begin until the commission receives the census data it needs.
While the U.S. Census Bureau released apportionment data during the last week of April, Commission Chair Alicia Fernandez said that data is not what will be used for the redistricting work.
The U.S. Census Bureau said states are expected to receive redistricting data by Aug. 16 and the full redistricting data with tool kits for ease of use will be delivered by Sept. 30.
From there, the commission reported that it will need to format the data in order to use it.
Taylor said the census data — delayed due to the pandemic — is putting the commission in a time crunch, giving them about four months, half a month less than normal.
Just when the commission’s work will be completed “is the million dollar question,” said Taylor. He said the Supreme Court has given the commission until Dec. 15 to put out the maps.
The commission reported that it’s aiming to have one or two draft maps out for public comment before the final maps are completed.
One of the tasks the commission will have to undertake is adjusting lines to account for California’s loss of one congressional district seat because of the shifting population, which the new census data revealed.
California will now have 52 congressional districts, and the commission must redraw the lines to make sure those districts will have near equal populations while following a number of rules that include:
— ensuring minorities have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice;
drawing districts contiguously;
— minimizing the division of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities;
— creating geographically compact boundaries;
— and when practicable creating Senate districts composed of two complete and adjacent Assembly districts, and Board of Equalization districts composed of 10 complete and adjacent State Senate districts.
One new aspect of the process is that the commission will reallocate inmate numbers from their prison locations to their last known addresses, as state legislators have asked them to do.
It’s meant to more accurately reflect California’s population, although it’s not anticipated to have much of a change on the final lines.
Visit the commission’s website at https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/ to learn more about meetings and the community of interest tool, or for a community group to schedule a presentation with a commissioner.
The commission also can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone, 916-323-0323.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Resolution Urging the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to Ke. by LakeCoNews on Scribd