State Auditor sets public meetings for Prop. 11 redistricting commission

This week the Bureau of State Audits announced it has set dates and locations for a series of public meetings around the state to take testimony from the public about the development of a new commission that will be responsible for drawing legislative district lines following the 2010 Census. The commission is being created due to the passage of a redistricting reform measure, Proposition 11, on the November 2008 ballot.

The meetings start on January 26 in Sacramento, then move to San Diego (Feb. 9), Fresno (Feb. 20), Los Angeles (Feb. 23) and San Francisco (Feb. 27). The Bureau has also created a new Prop. 11 homepage on its web site where information relating to the commission will be made available to the public. The page currently features this Notice of Interested Persons Meetings document, which includes details about the purpose of the public meetings. Excerpts are below.

Although participants may comment on any aspect of the State Auditor’s role in the implementation of the Act, the State Auditor is particularly interested in comments regarding the following:

* The application process for the selection of members of the Commission as discussed in Article XXI, Section 2(c)(3) of the California Constitution and Section 8252(a)(1) of the California Government Code.

* The creation of the Applicant Review Panel to screen Commission applicants as discussed in Section 8252(b) of the California Government Code.

* The removal of individuals from the applicant pool based on conflicts of interest identified in the Act as discussed in Section 8252(a)(2) of the California Government Code.

* The publication of the names in the applicant pool as discussed in Section 8252(c) of the California Government Code.

* The random selection of eight members of the Commission as discussed in Section 8252(f) of the California Government Code.

* The creation of a new pool of qualified applicants in the event of a vacancy on the Commission with no qualified person left in the pool previously established by the State Auditor to fill vacancies as discussed in Section 8252.5(b) of the California Government Code.

Those who wish to submit comments but cannot do so in person are invited to do so in writing. Contact information is provided in the Notice linked above.