Politics & Government

GOP Group Can Start Collecting Signatures to Challenge Redistricting

The Republican-backed Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting (FAIR) is challenging the newly redrawn boundaries for state Senate districts.

A Republican-backed group can start collecting signatures to put a referendum on the June 2012 ballot challenging new boundaries for state Senate districts.

Boundaries were recently redrawn by a citizens' committee, severing San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente from the 38th Senate District, and folding them among more South Orange County cities in the new state Senate district 36.

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California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced late Friday that ballot measure proponent Julie Vandermost, an Orange County businesswoman, and her supporters can start collecting the 504,760 signatures of registered voters needed to qualify the measure for the next statewide ballot. Vandermost and the GOP-supported Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting (FAIR) are leading the effort to overturn the new state Senate districts.

Republicans previously stated their intention to challenge the state Senate redistricting because it threatens several GOP incumbents and could give Democrats the two-thirds majority needed to pass key legislation.

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

They worry primarily about San Bernardino and Sacramento counties. According to the Los Angeles Times, referendum leaders say the two counties "are each split between six Senate districts when the former could fit into three and the latter into two."

The referendum petition, if signed by enough voters, would put the revised state Senate boundaries on the June 12 ballot and prevent them from being implemented unless approved by voters. It also would require court-appointed officials to set interim boundaries for use in the next statewide election.

San Juan Capistrano will see a new state senator under either scenario. Sen. Mark Wyland has already announced his intention to leave his post representing the 38th District when his term ends in 2014.

An independent citizens commission redrew the district boundaries for the first time in California history.

The commission was created after voters in November 2008 passed Proposition 11, the Voters First Act. The commission was composed of 14 members from various ethnic backgrounds and geographic locations and included five Democrats, five Republicans and four who decline to state a party preference.

—Jenna Chandler contributed to this report.


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