Commission Actions Key to Voter-Approved Proposition 11 Redistricting Reform

(October 22, 2009) California State Auditor Elaine Howle has posted the regulations that will define the application process for creating the Citizens Redistricting Commission.

During her visit to the California Chamber of Commerce last week, Howle explained that due to state budget constraints, the effort to seek applicants for the new Citizens Redistricting Commission will need to rely heavily on outreach other than paid advertising.

In a live webcast from the California Chamber of Commerce on October 14, Howle stressed that business organizations need to urge their members to apply for the commission and get involved in the process.

“The intent was for this to be a citizen’s redistricting commission and for that to happen we have to reach out to the citizens, the voters of this state to get them engaged, get them excited about this process and hopefully get them to apply to serve California,” Howle said.

California State Auditor Elaine Howle emphasizes the importance of outreach efforts in finding applicants for the Citizens Redistricting Commission.

The commission, established when voters approved the Proposition 11 redistricting reform initiative last November, will redraw political district boundaries. The CalChamber-supported measure allows the citizens of California—rather than the Legislature—to create legislative districts that will require elected officials to be accountable to the voters.

Auditor’s Responsibility

Howle is responsible for establishing a process for individuals to apply to become members of the 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission, selecting a panel to assess the applicants and creating an applicant pool of 60 of the most qualified applicants.

To recruit applicants, Howle said her staff will use multilingual collateral and educational material, including paid advertising, press releases/media advisories, opinion pieces, individual briefings and press interviews to let Californians know that they could be eligible to apply to be on the commission.

“We need the assistance of anybody and everybody that is willing to help us get the word out so that we get as many applicants as we possibly can,” Howle said. “We consider a successful outreach campaign to be one where we get thousands of applications.”

She said her office plans to begin an aggressive outreach campaign in the coming months.

Applications Soon

The first phase of the five-phase application process will begin on December 15 and close on February 12, 2010.

Any registered voter who has voted in two of the last three statewide general elections, not changed party affiliation in the last five years and has satisfied rigorous conflicts of interest requirements may be considered for the commission.

Applicants with obvious conflicts of interest, including elected officials and their staff, will be excluded from serving on the commission.

The commission will include five Republicans, five Democrats and four members not associated with either party. The initiative also requires the commission to represent the state’s significant diversity, including ethnic and regional considerations.

Potential commission members could include university professors, CPAs, physicians, nurses, engineers, community advocates, teachers and more.

Proposition 11 requires the commission to be formed by the end of December 2010 and new district maps to be drawn by September 15, 2011.

Howle described one of the main attributes her office is going to be looking for in a candidate: “Are they going to have the ability to listen to public comment, to really gauge the information that is being shared with them as commissioners in making their decisions in drawing those district lines?” she said.

More Information

Howle commented that the commission is going to change the political process in California for years to come and stressed the need for public participation.

“We want Californians to really believe in the process; they voted for this initiative,” Howle said.

The webcast of Howle’s remarks and the accompanying slides are available on the CalChamber website at www.calchamber.com.

The state auditor’s office has set up a website to provide more information and updates on the redistricting commission and application process at www.WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov.

Staff Contact: Rob Lapsley