Redistricting Panel Didn't Follow Law on Senate Lines

By Thomas Del Beccaro, CRP Chairman (as seen in SacBee.com)

Tom Del Beccaro, chairman of the California Republican Party, is responding to the Aug. 7 editorial, "State GOP should stop blaming redistricting reform for its challenges," which stated:

"Any losses (of seats by the GOP) will have nothing to do with the commission and everything to do with demographics and voter registration."

Perhaps our most cherished right as citizens is our right to vote. Free and fair elections are not just an ideal but also the hallmark of our republic.

When California voters created the California Redistricting Commission, they wanted just that – a free and fair process. Unfortunately, the manner in which the Senate lines were drawn was more partisan than fair, and simply failed to comply with the law. Voters have no choice but to rectify this problem by referendum.

Insider Democrats have concluded that the new lines put them within reach of a supermajority in the California Senate. If they achieve that, they could vote for higher taxes and fees without a single Republican vote.

As the Republican Party chair of California, that is not an outcome I would want – but it is the manner in which the outcome was achieved that is of the most concern.

The commission, which in practice was dominated by Democrats, failed to consistently apply the criteria mandated by law when drawing the Assembly, Senate, congressional and Board of Equalization maps.

There is but one set of criteria they were given in determining each district map. Anyone who watched the commission, however, knows that the commission completely abandoned constitutional guidelines when it came to the Senate...

Click HERE to read the full Sacramento Bee article.