Supporting Independent Redistricting


Passed 08/07/2006

WHEREAS California’s current process for redrawing legislative district boundaries represents a clear conflict of interest, as evidenced by a history of legislators drawing the lines to protect incumbents and create “safe” districts; and

WHEREAS districts created under this system often confuse voters and fail to represent communities of interest — their geographic boundaries illogically shaped; and

WHEREAS the Democratic campaign opposing Governor Schwarzenegger’s Proposition 77 was based, in part, on a promise by Democratic leadership to introduce their own superior plan to take redistricting out of the hands of legislators; therefore let it be

RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley (DP/SFV) supports a system of redistricting independent of the legislature, guided by the following principles:

Redistricting shall only take place once every decade, following the decennial federal census.

Districts shall be geographically compact and contiguous.

District boundaries shall respect communities of interest, in conformity with the Federal Voting Rights Act.

District lines shall be primarily determined by visible geographic features, city and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts; and further

RESOLVED that DP/SFV calls on the Democratic caucus to live up to their promise by passing legislation this year to establish such a system.