’We shouldn’t have to beg’: Latinos underrepresented on California redistricting commission

Latinos are underrepresented on the commission that draws geographic boundaries for California political offices despite a campaign that highlighted their complete absence from the first group of people selected to serve on it.

Four of the 14 spots on the California 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission are held by Latinos. That’s 29% percent of the commission.

The share disappointed Latino leaders who wanted the commission to more closely resemble California’s demographic makeup. Latinos represent 39.4% of California’s population.

“We shouldn’t have to beg for a spot at the table,” said former Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles.

The appointment of the final commissioners last week concludes a process that began when about 20,000 Californians applied to join the once-a-decade boundary-setting panel. Of that group, about 2,000 continued in the process by completing an additional application package.

That applicant pool was narrowed to 60 applicants by a review panel, with state legislative leaders having the power to strike applicants. The state auditor randomly selected the first eight members, none of whom were Latino.

Last week, the initial eight commissioners selected the final six members. Four of them are Latino.

“The lucky eight did a good job in their final selections, amid the deck of cards that they were handed,” said former Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León. “The fact that 40% of the population could have so easily been omitted is not acceptable.”

The state’s redistricting commission is tasked with drawing boundaries for congressional and legislative offices every 10 years after the census count is concluded. The commission includes five Democrats, five Republicans and four members who are not affiliated with those parties.

The four Latino members include Alicia Fernández of Yolo County, Angela Vázquez of Los Angeles County, Patricia Sinay of San Diego County and Pedro Toledo of Sonoma County.

De León wrote an opinion piece, published in The Sacramento Bee on July 9, criticizing the lack of Latino representation in the commission’s randomly selected group. He urged the first group to appoint Latinos to the remaining seats.

“Anything less would violate the spirit and intent of California’s law to ensure fairness in our political boundary drawing,” he wrote.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, said it was important that Latino voices be adequately represented on the commission. She called the number of Latinos on the commission an improvement, but said it still lacked full proportionality.

“Whether it’s a community of immigrants or a community that has been historically disenfranchised you want somebody who maybe has a perspective on that,” said the California Latino Legislative Caucus chair.

This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "’We shouldn’t have to beg’: Latinos underrepresented on California redistricting commission."