Bill Would Create Citizens Redistricting Commission for Sacramento County

Sacramento would join a number of jurisdictions with independent redistricting commissions under a bill introduced this month by State Senator Angelique Ashby.

SB 314 reads as follows:  

This bill would establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission in the County of Sacramento, which would be charged with adjusting the boundary lines of the districts of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sacramento. The commission would consist of 14 members who meet specified qualifications. This bill would require the commission to adjust the boundaries of the supervisorial districts in accordance with specified criteria and adopt a redistricting plan in accordance with existing deadlines for the adoption of county supervisorial district boundaries. By increasing the duties on local officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Ashby was elected to the Senate last year after serving on the Sacramento City Council. She supported the Independent Redistricting Commission Act in 2016, which removed the council’s redistricting power and put it in the hands of an independent commission.

Counties with redistricting commissions include San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside. Los Angeles’ commission was also created at the behest of the Legislature when it passed SB 958 in 2016.