Redistricting Comes Back To California

Frank Russo has all the details about Fabian Nunez' redistricting proposal announced today. Essentially it puts redrawing the state boundaries in the hands of the Little Hoover Commission, minus the legislators that normally sit on that panel. This would have to go before voters as an initiative once it passes the legislature with a 2/3 vote (it's a Constitutional amendment).

The precise wording from Attorney General Brown is here: That's apparently a different initiative which is gathering signatures, I misread.

REDISTRICTING. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Amends process for redistricting California’s Legislature, Board of Equalization, and U.S. House of Representative districts. Establishes Citizens Redistricting Commission comprised of 11 qualified registered voters formed by the Secretary of State pursuant to detailed selection process. Requires Commission to submit redistricting plan, consistent with specified criteria, after each national census. Requires Commission to hold public hearings and receive public input before finalizing the redistricting plan. Requires legal challenges to be made within 45 days of certification of plan. Subjects adopted plan to challenge by referendum. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Potentially increased redistricting costs every ten years–probably of less than $1 million. Any such costs would be accommodated within the Legislature’s existing budget. (Initiative 07-0005.)

Without the lawmakers, the Little Hoover Commission includes 4 citizens appointed by the legislature and 5 citizens appointed by the governor. Seven panel members would have to agree for a plan to move forward.

The Little Hoover Commission has a decent enough reputation as an independent study group; their report on California's corrections crisis was well-done. I'm a bit wary of subjecting district shapes to be subject to referendum, it seems to invite an endless series of low-information elections. And overall, I don't think redistricting geographically will have as massive an impact as everybody thinks. People largely gerrymander themselves.

But there you have it, and I've seen worse plans in my life. I ultimately believe that two candidates with the same basic money pool can overcome any gerrymander thrown at them, which is why I think that election reform begins and ends with public financing.