Applicant Review Panel for the Citizens Redistricting Commission Holds Public Meeting

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Applicant Review Panel (ARP) for California's first Citizens Redistricting Commission held a public meeting to continue the process of narrowing down the applicant pool of those applicants who completed the Supplemental Application for California's first Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission).  Now, 314 of the most qualified applicants remain in the applicant pool.  

"The task of narrowing down the pool of applicants has been a rigorous process," said Elaine M. Howle, California State Auditor. "The ARP has been working around the clock to ensure each application, letters of recommendation and any public comment are carefully reviewed and considered. The process of creating this new Commission is unprecedented in its scope, and our office and the ARP are determined to bring all due diligence to the Commission's application, selection and implementation process, which is what the voters of California expect and deserve."

The ARP has given itself until August 2010, to narrow the pool of applicants to 120 of the most qualified, from an original applicant group of 4,547.  Of the 314 individuals that remain in the applicant pool, only 14 will ultimately be selected for the Commission.

Those applicants selected as 120 of the most qualified will be categorized into three sub pools of 40 registered Democrats, 40 registered Republicans, and 40 who are registered as decline-to-state or with another party.  Next those applicants will participate in a personal interview process, to be conducted at upcoming public meetings of the ARP.

The application process for the Citizens Redistricting Commission opened on December 15, 2009, and closed on February 16, 2010.  More than 30,000 registered voters initially applied to serve on the Commission.  The supplemental application for those deemed tentatively eligible was due on April 19.  Interviews will be held for 120 of the most qualified applicants and then the ARP will then narrow the pool to 60 of the most qualified applicants—20 Democrats, 20 Republicans, and 20 from neither of those parties.  

By October 1, 2010, the ARP will submit the list of those 60 applicants to the California State Legislature. Legislative leadership has the option of removing up to 24 names from the list.  From that remaining list, the California State Auditor will then randomly select the first eight commissioners.  Those eight commissioners will select the remaining six to establish the 14-member commission which will include, in total, five Republicans, five Democrats and four members that are registered as decline-to-state or with another party.

The 14-member Commission will redraw California's Senate, Assembly and State Board of Equalization districts, based on information gathered during the 2010 census, and must draw the districts in conformity with strict, nonpartisan rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population that will provide fair representation for all Californians.

All ARP meetings are public and are streamed live on the Internet.  The meetings are also recorded by a videographer and stenographer, and both the video and transcripts of all meetings are available at http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov/application.html.

For more information please visit www.WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov, or if you have questions, please call (866) 356-5217.

SOURCE California State Auditor's Office

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