Unacceptable. Raise your voice!
Not a single Latino was selected for the eight-member California commission, which is charged with drawing the boundaries of California’s Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts. The decisions made by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) affects every Californian: they set boundaries that dictate the way communities are civically represented for the next 10 years. Latinos account for 40% of the state’s population. We find it unacceptable that the Latinx voice has been clearly excluded from a ‘citizen commission.’
The first eight members will select the next six members from a pool of 27 applicants. The initial random drawing was supposed to ensure an independent group. However, the numbers were stacked from the get-go. Latinos made up 14% of the applicants before the application deadline closed, but over the next few months, the numbers were reduced through the process.
According to NALEO, without a dramatic increase in Latino representation on the CCRC, the CCRC will fail to reflect California’s ethnic diversity. This failure will violate the provisions of the Voter’s First Act.
PIQE stands with NALEO and partners to urge the CRCC to select at least one Latino for seats in each of the three political affiliation groups, and to consider selecting, even more, to fully ensure that the CCRC reflects the diversity of California’s population.
We urge our community to share their concerns about this matter by submitting a public comment at https://shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov/
Stay tuned for more!
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