Capitol Alert: Pool for redistricting commission narrowed to 120

The pool of potential members for the state's legislative redistricting commission has been narrowed to 120 applicants, who will undergo personal interviews.

An "applicant review panel" convened by the state auditor's office -- as decreed by Proposition 11, passed by voters in 2008 -- winnowed the pool down to 40 Democrats, 40 Republicans and 40 independents who appear to roughly mirror the cultural makeup of the state's population.

It's a big change from initial pools of applicants for slots on the commission, which were overwhelmingly white men, drawing criticism from civil rights groups.

The composition of the 120 remaining in the pool drew praise from the California chapter of the NAACP, which said 47 percent are women, 12 percent are black, 30 percent are Latino, 14 percent are Asian-American or Pacific Islander, 5 percent are American Indian and 37 percent are white.

"The NAACP has monitored the formation of the redistricting commission since the passage of Proposition 11, and I must say that I have rarely witnessed a selection process as open and transparent as this one," said Alice Huffman, head of the chapter.

"The panel has reached a significant milestone in the process of forming our state's first independent citizens redistricting commission," said state auditor Elaine M. Howle. "As the November 2010 election approaches, we are reminded that the way our legislative and Board of Equalization districts have historically been drawn will soon change. I'm very proud of the panel as it carried out its responsibilities with the utmost thoroughness, transparency, and integrity."

The interviews will conclude by September. The panel will then narrow the pool to 60 of the most qualified applicants -- 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans, and 20 from neither of those parties.

By Oct. 1, the panel will submit the list of those 60 applicants to legislative leaders, who may remove up to 24 names from the list. From the survivors, Howe will then randomly select the first eight commissioners. Those eight will select the remaining six to establish the 14-member commission that must include, five Republicans, five Democrats and four members that are registered as decline-to-state or with another party.

Whether the final stage is reached, however, depends on the outcome of two November ballot measures. Proposition 20 would extend the commission's charter to congressional districts. Proposition 27 would eliminate the commission altogether and return redistricting to the Legislature.