New CA Legislative Districts Approved

The Citizens Redistricting Commission on Monday approved new legislative district maps for California. No changes were made to the maps that were . A lawsuit and/or ballot referendum could be used to challenge the maps.

The commission approved the state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization maps by a vote of 13-1. The lone opponent was Anaheim chiropractor Michael Ward, a Republican. Fellow Republican Jodie Filkins Webber, an attorney from Riverside County, joined Ward as the only other person to oppose the map for the U.S. House of Representatives districts.

Redondo Beach will join Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates, Rolling Hills and Rancho Palos Verdes in the new 66th Assembly District come Election Day. Right now, the Beach Cities are part of the 53rd Assembly District, represented by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, a Democrat.

In the state Senate, Redondo Beach will join the new 26th District, which stretches from the Palos Verdes Peninsula up to the edge of Topanga State Park north of Santa Monica. The district would also include Beverly Hills. West Hollywood, Catalina Island and San Clemente Island. Previously, Redondo Beach was part of the 28th District, represented by Sen. Ted Lieu.

Redondo Beach will join the 33rd Congressional District. The redrawn district's western boundarywill  be Leo Carrillo State Beach, the northern border will be near Agoura Hills and Calabasas, the majority of the eastern boundary will run along the beach cities' border, and the southern boundary will be the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Currently, Redondo Beach is part of the 36th District, which is represented by the recently elected Rep. Janice Hahn.

The Citizens Redistricting Commission was created after voters in 2008 passed Proposition 11, the Voters First Act. It includes five Democrats, five Republicans and four members who decline to state a party preference. The members are of various ethnic backgrounds and live in various parts of California. They held a number of public hearings throughout the state and received thousands of written comments. Previously, districts had been created by legislators, and what they came up with was alleged to be a gerrymandered mess, designed to make sure incumbents could be re-elected.

"The commission followed the Constitution and we believe balanced the interests of all Californians in creating districts we believe are reasoned and make good sense," said Commission Chair Vincent P. Barabba, a Republican businessman from Santa Cruz County, at a press conference following Monday's vote.

Ward sang a different tune. He said the maps were "fundamentally flawed as the result of a tainted political process" and that the commission "broke the law" by ignoring the federal Voting Rights Act and making decisions "based on political motives."

"This commission became the citizens smoke-filled room, where average citizen commissioners engaged in dinner table deals and partisan gerrymandering, the very problems that this commission was supposed to prevent," Ward said.

When asked by a member of the press what he meant by "dinner table deals," Ward said his statement "stands on its own."

Ward called Redondo Beach's congressional district, a Democratic Party-dominated zone that stretches along the coast from Malibu to Rancho Palos Verdes while poking inland in parts to capture Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Beverly Hills, the "ribbon of shame district." He cited several other districts as having been creatively designed for political purposes.

Ward said he would not take part in any lawsuit or ballot referendum to challenge the maps. A California Republican Party spokesman told the Los Angeles Times on Monday that the party would likely not file a suit; however, the party released a statement late Monday that it would pursue a ballot referendum against the state Senate lines and possibly the Congressional maps.

"I have been saying for months that the CRC's actions have been unfair if not unconstitutional, and that remains the case," said California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro. "The CRP will do whatever it can to give voters the chance to correct what the Commission failed to do."

Following Ward's comments, Barabba said, "The sense I get is that Commissioner Ward attended different meetings than I did or at least saw them differently."

Editor's note: This article has been edited from its original version. It has been updated with the California Republican party statement regarding its decision to pursue a referendum against the Senate and possibly Congressional district maps.