The proposed redistricting for California is a “Worst-Case Scenario” for Latinos in California, according to a news report on June 11 by New American Media.
The first batch of political maps by California’s new Citizens Redistricting Commission is having exactly the effect that government reformers intended — shaking up the political status quo by ignoring incumbents and promising to make many statewide elections more competitive, writes Nina Matin of NAM.
But the release Friday of proposed maps for new legislative and congressional districts has left Latino civil rights advocates shaking, too — with frustration and anger, she adds.
“The proposed congressional maps create a worse-case scenario for Latinos in California,” Rosalind Gold, senior director of policy, research and advocacy at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund in Los Angeles, was quoted in the article. “They do not reflect the growth of the Latino population in the state over the past 10 years.”
“This is disappointing and frustrating because we went from one extreme in the redistricting process to another, but still have not increased the voice of the second-largest group in the state,” Steven Ochoa, national redistricting coordinator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), was also quoted in the story.
A new round of hearings are being scheduled statewide, with the final political maps due by Aug. 15.
Click here to read the entire story.
Ventura County Latinos are feeling their own share of frustration with the proposed redistricting effort that would split the largest Latino population center in the county.
The California Redistricting Commission has put forth a proposal that would split Oxnard into two Assembly District. Half of Oxnard’s residents, as well as Santa Paula and Fillmore, would be split and go into Simi Valley’s 37th Assembly District.
Click here or here for stories on the redistricting in the Ventura County Star.
— Latino Links provides a periodic update of trends in digital media, education, lifestyle, marketing and politics impacting the Latino community. Produced by Amigos805.com