PRESS RELEASE

2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission 

Petitions CA Supreme Court to Clarify Writ of Mandate

SACRAMENTO, CA—Today, the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) petitioned the California Supreme Court to clarify and/or modify the writ of mandate issued by the Court on July 17, 2020. The petition requests:

  1. The court modify the writ of mandate issued in Padilla to clarify that the commission’s deadline for releasing the first preliminary redistricting maps is extended by an additional 18 days to November 19, 2021, in order to account for the “additional federal delay” in transmitting usable census data to the state. 
  2. The court modify the writ of mandate issued in Padilla to order that the commission’s deadline for approving and certifying the final redistricting maps is extended to January 14, 2022, in order to account for the “additional federal delay” in transmitting usable census data to the state and to permit meaningful public input into the final map-drawing process.

III. The court modify the writ of mandate issued in Padilla to order that only three days’ notice is required for commission meetings held in the fifteen days before the deadline for certifying the final redistricting maps.

The California Supreme Court ruled on July 17, 2020 (Legislature of CA v Alex Padilla S262530) that the Commission should have until December 15, 2021 to submit its maps to the California Secretary of State due to the delay in release of census results. If census results were received after July 31, 2021, the Commission’s deadline would be adjusted accordingly. 

The State of California received local level data from the U.S. Census Bureau on August 12, 2021, a few days earlier than previously expected. These data still require further preparation by Statewide Database to allow for the state’s incarcerated population to be counted with the communities of their last known residence and still need to be reformatted for use by the Commission.

The relief sought by the Commission in this motion seeks to preserve the maximum opportunity for the public to be involved throughout the redistricting process and for the Commission to be able to receive and respond to the public’s input, while adhering as closely as possible to the framework envisioned and adopted by the Voters First Act.

Every 10 years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its electoral districts so that the state’s population is evenly allocated among the new districts. 

In 2008, California voters passed the Voters First Act, authorizing the creation of the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district lines. In 2010, the Voters First Act for Congress gave the Commission the responsibility of drawing new Congressional districts following every census.

 

For more information, please visit WeDrawTheLinesCA.org. 

 

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