[EL] More on the California Redistricting Commission

[Lisa T. Hauser]

That's interesting.  I don't recall seeing any successful Asian-American VRA challenges.  Is there any information releases by the Commission with respect to the predicted performance of the 40% Asian CVAP seats?  Are they likely to be effective districts?

Lisa T. Hauser
(602) 256-4462
lhauser at gblaw.com
Attorney Profile<http://www.gblaw.com/attorney.asp?AttorneyID=46>

Gammage & Burnham
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From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Bruce Cain [be.cain48 at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 9:29 AM
To: Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu; Rick Hasen
Subject: [EL] More on the California Redistricting Commission


The press coverage on the Commission's first draft of a CD plan focused primarily on incumbent displacement and the plan's possible political implications, but
few have noted that the CRC has created two over 40% Asian CVAP seats--one in San Jose an the other in LA.  These are higher concentrations that we have ever had
before on the CD level in CA..  In the last round of redistricting, the Asian-American community felt short-changed by the legislature's effort, particularly in the San Jose area.
This caused some tensions the civil rights/reform community.  In the 80's and 90's African-American districts at various levels had to make way for new Latino seats.
This time the story in LA is that a few Latino disticts were substantially altered to make way for a crescent shaped Asian-American district.  This is not the first time that
we have seen Asian-Latino tensions.  In the mid-80's working on the LA city redistricting with Richard Alatorre, we created a draft that moved Mike Woo into more Asian areas
to make way for a new Latino seat, and this sparked a lot of controversy (including a visit from the Justice Department with a warning that we might be igniting a race war).
In addition to the two plus 40% seats, the growth of the Asan American community is evident in the additional five seats that are plus 20% Asian American CVAP.  To date, and if not
the lawyers will correct me, there are no examples of successful Asian-American VRA challenges.  This seems to be motivated less by the legal incentives and more by community
of interest and diversity considerations.
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