In November of 2008, Californians pasted the Voters FIRST Act. The Act aims to remove political considerations from the process of drawing California’s state assembly and senate districts and the state’s federal congressional districts. Commissioners were appointed in late 2010. (Click here for the Commission’s website.)
The Commission released its first map on Friday and its is as detrimental to incumbents as those on the political inside feared. According to this New York Time’s story, 11 of the proposed districts are home to two or more current members of the US House of Representatives. The new map, if adopted, could result in a four seat gain for the state’s Democratic delegation.
Public hearings on the proposed map will be held in June and July. The final map is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2011.
