The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted Friday to adopt its first set of maps revising California’s political districts. The final draft maps appear to create more Democratic dominated districts, putting a number of incumbents in the same districts. These incumbents will either have to fight it out in a primary election, move to another district, or retire. The 14-member bipartisan commission, who has worked on the new political maps for months, listened to testimony from 2,000 Californians and considered 20,000 written comments. Critics from Republican Party say the process to redraw the districts wasn’t transparent enough and are threatening a lawsuit or ballot referendum to overturn the new maps. Minority community representatives have also complained that the new districts have broken-up long established ethnic groupings, taking political power away from minority voters. The final vote to ratify these maps takes place on August 15.
Guest:
Bruce Cain, Heller Professor of political science and the Executive Director of the U.C. Washington Center, in DC