Subject: Re: [EL] California redistricting commission
From: Allison Hayward
Date: 11/8/2010, 4:50 PM
To: Larry Levine
CC: "JBoppjr@aol.com" <JBoppjr@aol.com>, "election-law@mailman.lls.edu" <election-law@mailman.lls.edu>

I just received this announcement from the California state auditor.  Many of you got this too.  Some others may not have seen it, and may find it interesting.  Or not.

Here you go:

As you know the first Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) is in
the final stages of being formed. Nearly 30,000 initially applied to serve on
the Commission, of which 4,500 applicants decided to continue in the process
by submitting a supplemental application and obtaining letters of
recommendation. The three-member Applicant Review Panel (Panel) reviewed the
applications and other material related to the applicants and held many
public hearings-including interviewing applicants-as they identified 60 of
the most qualified applicants: 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans and 20 that are
either Decline-to-State or belong to another party.
As called for by the Voters FIRST Act, the Panel submitted the names of those
60 applicants to the legislative leaders on September 29, 2010. The members
have until November 15, 2010, to exercise their "strikes"-each member may
strike up to two names from each of the subpools-and must return the names of
the applicants that remain in the subpools to the State Auditor by November
15, 2010. The State Auditor must randomly draw the first eight names no later
than November 20, 2010-three Republicans, three Democrats and two that are
either Decline-to-State or belong to another party. Those first eight
commissioners will then select the final six-two from each subpool-by
December 31, 2010, to form the Commission.
The State Auditor has set the date for the random drawing of the first eight
commissioners as follows:
Date:  Thursday, November 18, 2010
Time:  10:00 a.m.
Location:  Auditorium, California Secretary of State's Office
    1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
This meeting will be livestreamed at www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov
<http://www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov>. Further, the videotape and transcripts of
the meeting will be posted to that Web site. Go to www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov
<http://www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov> for information and to learn about the
Commission. If you need a reasonable accommodation in order to participate or
if you have any questions, you can email votersfirstact@auditor.ca.gov
<mailto:votersfirstact@auditor.ca.gov> or call us, toll free, at
1-866-356-5217. 
On Nov 8, 2010, at 7:15 PM, Larry Levine wrote:

It's the cynic in me. I'm assuming there will be so many challenges to the
process and the product that it won't be possible to get it done in time for
the opening of filing for office. I understand Doug's tendency to rely on
research and I respect that position. However, I've been at this political
stuff as a news reporter and consultant to have some instincts as to what
may lie ahead. Court intervention in the case of a deadlock is one thing and
appears to be fairly straight forward. But court intervention in the case of
multiple suits brought against the composition of the commission and the
actual product of its work is quite another. I supposed a deadlocked
commission and immediate court intervention might be the best chance for
getting things done in time for the opening of filing for the 2012 Primary
Election season. If the commission actually agrees on a series of maps that
are then challenged, it might be a whole different ball game. And then
there's the result of any referenda that may be filed. Doesn't the filing of
a referendum stay the implementation of the legislation? Or is this not
legislation?
Larry


----- Original Message -----
From: <bruce@cain.berkeley.edu>
To: "Larry Levine" <larrylevine@earthlink.net>
Cc: "Douglas Johnson" <djohnson@ndcresearch.com>; "'James Fischer'"
<jfischer@swlaw.edu>; "'James Lacy'" <wewerlacy@aol.com>;
<jon.roland@constitution.org>; <JBoppjr@aol.com>;
<election-law@mailman.lls.edu>
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 2:37 PM
Subject: Re: [EL] California redistricting commission


Larry


Explain your logic...the deadlines for the Congress are quite early, and
leave plenty of time for a Court to intervene.  Indeed, I am told that is
not an accident.  And the court could simply take the disputed plan, and
implement it for the one election.

Bruce


On Mon, 8 Nov 2010, Larry Levine wrote:

Safe bet? Everyone will be running for state and federal legislative
seats
in California in 2012 in the districts as they exist right now.
Larry
     ----- Original Message -----
From: Douglas Johnson
To: 'James Fischer' ; 'James Lacy' ; jon.roland@constitution.org
Cc: JBoppjr@aol.com ; election-law@mailman.lls.edu
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: [EL] California redistricting commission

I realize this isn't the most serious of threads, and I've enjoyed the
banter, but just in case anyone's still following it, the Commission's
work will be overseen by the voters (the redistricting plans are
subject to referendum) and by the courts (the commission must comply
with the Federal Voting Rights Act).



In California, as in Florida, the question of how active the courts
will be in overseeing the implementation of state redistricting
criteria is an open question.



- Doug



Douglas Johnson

Fellow

Rose Institute of State and Local Government

Claremont McKenna College

o 909-621-8159

m 310-200-2058

douglas.johnson@cmc.edu

www.RoseReport.org







From: election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu
[mailto:election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu] On Behalf Of James
Fischer
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 11:18 AM
To: James Lacy; jon.roland@constitution.org
Cc: JBoppjr@aol.com; election-law@mailman.lls.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] California redistricting commission



Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?



From: election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu
[mailto:election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu] On Behalf Of James Lacy
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 8:51 AM
To: jon.roland@constitution.org
Cc: JBoppjr@aol.com; election-law@mailman.lls.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] California redistricting commission



Then what we will need is an additional set of computers to program
and run the computers. The first set of commuters will need randomly
selected programmers to oversee the randomly selected programers who
program the first set of computers so that the work of randomly
selected panels overseeing the randomly elected panels is as random as
possible.

James V. Lacy

Confidentiality applies



Sent from my iPad


On Nov 8, 2010, at 7:22 AM, Jon Roland <jon.roland@constitution.org>
wrote:

     On 11/08/2010 08:58 AM, JBoppjr@aol.com wrote:

     It will be interesting to see how Jon's promotion of
     random selection works out when the Calif redistricting
     comm is randomly selected. I wonder what are the efforts
     leading up to that to try to manipulate the process.

     I got a report, as yet unconfirmed, that the framers of
     that reform got the idea from reading my stuff. Of course,
     if any process can be manipulated it will be. It had
     better be supervised by a grand jury for execution of the
     selection.

     Randomly selected panels need to supervise the selection
     of other randomly selected panels. It is too important not
     to have a lot of independent people watching.

     That still leaves the question of how computer mapping
     software is used in drawing the maps. If they do it right
     they will not attempt to do things like protect
     incumbents. Better to have little if any human input into
     the drawing. Let the computer do it.

-- Jon



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