BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin Murray, Chairman
3 (Lowenthal)
Hearing Date: 5/25/06 Amended: 3/22/06
Consultant: Maureen Ortiz Policy Vote: E & R 3-1
_________________________________________________________________
____
BILL SUMMARY: SCA 3, if approved by the voters, provides for
the appointment of an eleven member independent redistricting
commission to establish congressional, Assembly, Senate and
State Board of Equalization districts.
_________________________________________________________________
____
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Fund
Redistricting commission --unknown, potentially several
million in 2009 --- General
Ballot -----
approximately $330 one time----- General
_________________________________________________________________
____
STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
SCA 3 requires the Department of Finance, in each year ending in
the number nine, to recommend an appropriation adequate to meet
the expenses of the commission, and to make office space
available for the operation of the commission. It requires the
Legislature to make an appropriation to fund the expenses of the
commission, by bill passed by a majority vote. Although costs
for the commission are unknown at this time, this program is
being modeled after an Arizona initiative and costs for that
commission in 2001 were estimated at $6 million. In addition,
costs for the Secretary of State are estimated at $55,000 per
page for ballot printing, processing and mailing. Recent
initiatives have been four to six pages long totaling election
costs of between $220,000 and $330,000.
Specifically, this bill does the following:
1) Requires that each of the 40 Senate districts be divided
into two Assembly districts.
2) Deletes the provision of the California Constitution
that requires the Legislature to adjust the boundary lines
of the state Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of
Equalization districts in the year following the year in
which the federal census is taken.
3) Creates a procedure for the appointment of an eleven
member redistricting commission to establish the above
mentioned districts.
4) Grants the California Supreme Court exclusive
jurisdiction over all challenges to a redistricting plan
adopted by the commission. If a plan is held
unconstitutional, the court would provide relief as it
deems appropriate.
5) Requires a panel of 10 retired judges of the Court of
Appeal to nominate a pool of 25 candidates for appointment
to the commission.
SCA 3 (Lowenthal)
Page 2
6) Requires the Department of Finance to submit to the
Legislature a recommendation for estimated redistricting
expenses to be appropriated by the Legislature by majority
vote.
7) Allows the commission to contract and hire staff and
consultants, exempt from civil service, including legal
representation, and provides for reimbursement of expenses
to commissioners.
SCA 3 provides for the make-up of the commission as follows:
1) The commission shall consist of 11 members, with no more
than four from the same political party,
2) Each member must commit to applying this article in an
honest, independent, and impartial fashion,
3) No more than 2 of the 8 appointed members may reside in
the same county,
4) Each commissioner must be a registered California voter
who has been registered with the same political party (or
registered as unaffiliated with a party) for three or more
years immediately preceding the appointment, and
5) Within the three years immediately preceding
appointment, no member may have been appointed to, elected
to, or have been a candidate for any other public office,
or served as an officer of a political party, a registered
paid lobbyist or as an officer of a candidate's campaign
committee.
In addition, SCA 3 prohibits legislative and congressional
staff, consultants under contract with the Legislature, and any
person with a financial or family relationship with the
Governor, a Member of the Legislature, a Member of Congress, or
a member of the State Board of Equalization from serving on the
commission.
The Judicial Council will appoint a panel of 10 retired judges
of the Court of Appeal to nominate a pool of 25 candidates for
the commission. The pool will consist of 10 nominees from each
of the two largest political parties in California and 5 who are
not registered with either of those parties. Of the eleven
member commission, two appointments will be made by each of the
following: Speaker of the Assembly, minority floor leader of
the Assembly, President pro Tempore of the Senate, and the
minority floor leader of the Senate. At a meeting called by the
Secretary of State, the eight appointed members will select
three additional members from the pool.
The deadline for the Legislature to pass measures that are to be
included on the November 2006 Statewide General Election is June
29, 2006.