BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 958
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
958 (Lara and Hall)
As Amended June 21, 2016
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 26-11
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Elections |5-2 |Weber, Gordon, Low, |Harper, Travis |
| | |Mullin, Nazarian |Allen |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Local |6-3 |Eggman, Alejo, |Waldron, Beth |
|Government | |Bonilla, Chiu, |Gaines, Linder |
| | |Cooley, Gordon | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |14-6 |Gonzalez, Bloom, |Bigelow, Chang, |
| | |Bonilla, Bonta, |Gallagher, Jones, |
| | |Calderon, Daly, |Obernolte, Wagner |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Wood, McCarty | |
| | | | |
SB 958
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| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Establishes a Citizens Redistricting Commission
(commission) in Los Angeles County and charges it with adjusting
the boundaries of supervisorial districts after each decennial
federal census. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the commission to be comprised of 14 members, and to
be created no later than December 31, 2020, and in each year
ending in the number zero thereafter.
2)Requires the political party preferences of commission members
to be as proportional as possible to the registered voter
population in the County, as specified. Requires at least one
commission member to reside in each of the five existing
supervisorial districts.
3)Requires each commission member to have various
qualifications, including possessing experience that
demonstrates relevant analytical skills and an ability to be
impartial.
4)Prohibits a person from being a member of the commission if,
in the prior 10 years, that person or an immediate family
member of the person was a candidate for, or an elected
official of, an office representing Los Angeles County; an
employee or consultant of such a candidate or official; an
officer, employee, consultant, or appointed member of a
political party; or a registered state or local lobbyist, as
specified. Prohibits the commission from retaining a
consultant who would not be qualified as a commission
applicant due to any of these disqualifying criteria.
5)Permits any interested person meeting the qualifications to
SB 958
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apply for the commission. Requires the county elections
official to review applications, eliminate applicants who do
not meet the required qualifications, and select 60 of the
most qualified applicants, as specified.
6)Requires the Auditor-Controller of Los Angeles County to
randomly select at least eight commissioners from the pool of
applicants selected by the county elections official,
including at least one commissioner from each of the five
supervisorial districts. Requires the eight selected
commissioners to appoint six additional applicants to the
commission from the pool of applicants selected by the county
elections official. Requires the appointees to be chosen
based on relevant experience and skills, and to ensure that
the commission reflects the county's diversity, as specified.
7)Requires nine or more affirmative votes by commissioners for
any official action.
8)Requires the commission to establish single-member
supervisorial districts for the board pursuant to a mapping
process using specified criteria.
9)Specifies minimum requirements for hearings conducted by the
commission, and for the preparation and adoption of a district
map by the commission.
10)Prohibits commissioners from holding public office, serving
as paid staff to a public official, or serving as a lobbyist
for five years after being appointed to the commission, as
specified.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
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Committee, significant state reimbursable General Fund costs of
at least several hundred thousand dollars every ten years.
(Unlike prior legislation establishing a similar commission for
San Diego County, this bill is not being requested by Los
Angeles County and thus creates a reimbursable state mandate.)
COMMENTS: According to the author, "SB 958 is a good government
proposal for the citizens of Los Angeles County. This bill
seeks to align the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors'
redistricting policy with the statewide movement toward
independent redistricting. San Diego, the second most populous
county in California, established an independent redistricting
commission for its Board therefore it is possible for the
largest county in California, Los Angeles, to maximize public
participation for its 10 million residents."
Existing law permits a county to create an advisory
redistricting commission (described in state law as a
"committee" of residents of the jurisdiction), but does not
expressly permit local jurisdictions to create commissions that
have the authority to establish district boundaries. Instead,
the authority to establish district boundaries for a local
jurisdiction generally is held by the governing body of that
jurisdiction. Charter cities are able to establish
redistricting commissions that have the authority to establish
district boundaries. On the other hand, the state Constitution
explicitly provides that "[c]harter counties are subject to
statutes that relate to apportioning population of governing
body districts." In light of this provision of the state
Constitution, charter counties are unable to provide for the
creation of a redistricting commission that has the authority to
establish district boundaries without statutory authorization.
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
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Analysis Prepared by:
Ethan Jones / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094 FN:
0003992