California Redistricting

A Post Line-Drawing Analysis

Having now completed one cycle of state redistricting under the new Citizens Redistricting Commission process, here is a summary of our findings on the process:

Diversity on the Commission

Following the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008, more than 30,000 Californians applied to serve on the new Citizens Redistricting Commission. Of them, approximately 5,600 submitted all required materials to qualify them for consideration. From this applicant pool, we found that roughly 70% of the applicants were White and 67% male. This was a far cry from being reflective of the diversity of our state.

Fortunately, The Greenlining Institute and a variety of other civil rights and advocacy organizations became involved to help recruit and prepare candidates to apply to serve on the commission. These groups additionally advocated for a diverse commission and worked with the Bureau of State Audits office to ensure the final pool of eligible applicants was far more diverse.

Ultimately, California was able to secure a 14-member Commission that was diverse - 4 Asians, 3 Latinos, 3 Whites, 2 Blacks, 1 Pacific Islander, and 1 Native American.

Public Engagement in Redistricting

In a survey conducted by the Greenlining Institute in late July 2011, it was clear that respondents felt the commission did not conduct adequate outreach and that it should in the future. The sample was taken from a convenient sample of 211 Californians, solicited via Greenlining Institute's own email listserv, California Common Cause's listserv, and other individual and organizational lists.

Communicating Redistricting Information

A large problem with the commission process was the commission's ineffective communication of redistricting information to the public. Due to time and financial constraints, the commission abandoned a comprehensive outreach plan early on in the process, and opted for a media-only strategy to communicate key information to the public.

A Greenlining analysis of the commission's self-reported press coverage indicates that only 14% of the Commission's communication touches by late July 2011, were in ethnic media outlets while a Pew Research Center study in 2006 found that, 87% of Hispanics, 74% of African-Americans and Arab Americans, and 70% of Asian-Americans in the United States use some form of ethnic media to get their news ("State of News Media," 2006).

In a state where nearly 60% of the population is people of color, future commissions should consider taking a different approach to communications, one where ethnic media is more strategically used.

A Greenlining analysis also found discrepancies between how mainstream and ethnic media outlets tended to frame the issues. Mainstream outlets tended to frame redistricting issues from the perspective of what would happen to the incumbent, while ethnic news outlets tended to frame redistricting from what was at stake for the community.

Diversity at the Public Input Hearings

As a result of many factors - including the lack of public outreach by the commission and ineffective communications strategy - the diversity of the people who showed up to participate in the public input hearings did not always reflect the diversity of the geographic region. While surveys could not be conducted at every public input hearing, Greenlining Institute and other advocacy organizations did observe this fact. To illustrate, we were able to administer in-person written surveys at the final public input hearing, held in San Francisco, CA on June 27, 2011. Of 75 participants who had registered by the start of the meeting, we collected survey data from 53 respondents. This is what we found:

Public Awareness of Redistricting

While there is much to be done in the coming years to ensure that future redistricting cycles effectively communicate and engage the diversity communities that make up our state, we did find that as a result of redistricting reform, the news coverage it received over the past several years, and the fact that the new process solicited input from the public, there seems to be more public awareness of what redistricting is. From our convenient sample of 211 Californians, we found that knowledge of redistricting increased following the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008:

Tell the Commission What You Think!

The Citizens Redistricting Commission will be conducting a process study review to determine how they can improve redistricting in future years. Tell them what you think by submitting public comment today.

Email: votersfirstact@crc.ca.gov
Fax: (916) 651-5711
Mail comments to:
Citizens Redistricting Commission
901 P Street, Suite 154-A
Sacramento, CA 95814