That will be a challenge, even for Sadhwani, who knows the topic intimately as a member of California Citizens Redistricting Commission. She understands that redrawing California’s political boundaries every 10 years is one of the most important things that occurs in the political world.
And it is happening right now. On Thursday, the commission will hold its first meeting focused on letting Californians explain how they define their “community of interest.”
“Our greatest challenge is to make redistricting sexy for the residents of California,” Sadhwani, a professor of politics at Pomona College, said on my “It’s All Political” podcast. “We have a mission to get as many folks involved in this process as possible.”
Too many Californians don’t realize how sexy redistricting is. How those boundaries are drawn, block by block, determines who represents you in Washington, Sacramento and every office down the line. Redistricting is about claiming your power.
And power is sexy.
In many states, the process is overseen by a few politicians or whichever party dominates the legislature. That often leads to gerrymandering — districts with sometimes tortuous boundaries created to favor a single party.
Republicans have mastered the redistricting process thanks to a focused effort in 2010 to win state-level races that enabled them to draw the political maps to their advantage. That edge helped Republicans win control of most state legislatures.
Or as former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said: “Gerrymandering has created an absurd reality where politicians now pick their voters instead of the voters picking their politicians.”
The predictable result: In 2020, 93% of incumbents won re-election.
As often is the case, we do things differently in California. In this case, for the better.
Instead of ceding the map-redrawing to politicians, a nonpartisan citizen’s commission draws them and the public is invited to get involved. They can go to a website and draw what they think their community of interest looks like and submit it to the commission.
Much of this, by the way, is largely thanks to Schwarzenegger. In 2008, he led the passage of Proposition 11, which set up the commission to draw the boundaries for legislative seats. Two years later, voters approved a measure that enabled the panel to draw lines for congressional districts.
Some of the hardest Californians to engage, however, are those with the most to lose if the lines aren’t drawn equitably — particularly low-income folks and communities of color. It’s understandable. Many Californians have a lot more pressing issues to think about, especially since the pandemic hit.
“The challenge is how to make this relevant to someone who’s trying to make ends meet, or is holding two jobs, or is a single mom,” said Alejandra Ponce de León, a senior policy and research analyst with the Advancement Project CA, a racial and civil rights organization.
The California Black Census and Redistricting Hub is spreading the word through its network of over 30 Black-led and Black-serving organizations across the state. To find one, go to www.cablackhub.org. Advocates want the commission to know that the Black population has continued to spread from big cities such as Oakland and Los Angeles into suburban areas.
“It’s important that Black communities are represented, that they are participating, that they are showing up and that they’re elevating their communities so that their voices are heard,” said Lanae Norwood, strategic communications director for the Hub.
The reason, Norwood said, is so “we have elected leaders that are committed to lifting those policies” that “dismantle systemic racism.”
Mi Familia Vota, which seeks to build political power in the Latino community, is also trying to connect with people through local organizations. The organization’s interim state director, Theresa Zamora, said it is easier to dispel the skepticism that some feel if they meet in person.
“Some people say, ‘Why should I do this? We don’t receive the help. Politicians aren’t really looking out for the best interest of the people,’” Zamora said. “There’s that feeling that they don’t trust politicians.”
Zamora said organizers try to overcome that by explaining that redistricting is important because it helps explain “what funding from the government should be available to your schools and to help fix your roads.”
That may be the best way to make redistricting sound sexy.
Millions for Millionaires: Gov. Gavin Newsom looked every bit the game show host Friday when he picked the first 15 winners of the state’s lottery for residents who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The state will give away $116.5 million in incentives, including $1.5 million lottery prizes for 10 vaccinated people.
Hate to ruin the fun, but shouldn’t the state be means-testing the winners? After all, Newsom frequently said through the pandemic that he is looking at issues through “an equity lens.”
The names of the winners will be kept private. But if it is learned that a millionaire won a million bucks, that smudges the equity lens in a state where 20% of all net worth is concentrated in the 30 ZIP codes where just 2% of the state’s residents live, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
“If a wealthy person wins, there will be some contingent of people thinking the fix was in — because the fix is in with most aspects of our economic culture,” said Michael Mechanic, the Oakland author of the new book, “Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live and How Their Wealth Harms Us All.” “To the extent poor people play the lottery, they view it as one game they have an equal chance of winning.”
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC San Francisco, told me that “I don’t think that’s the way to judge this lottery.”
“I will be concerned (regardless of who wins), if the lottery does not achieve the goal of boosting vaccinations — that should be the priority for all Californians,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “This money will be well spent if it achieves this goal, but should be questioned if it does not.”
Neither Mechanic and Bibbins-Domingo think the program should have been means-tested.
“I think means-testing would have made this program too cumbersome,” Bibbins-Domingo said.
The state doesn’t plan to start means-testing now, said Newsom spokesperson Alex Stack.
“The state’s goal with this incentive program is to motivate everyone to get vaccinated, period,” Stack said. “This deadly virus does not care if you’re rich or poor, and the last thing we’d want to do is put up any roadblocks, so we’re doing everything it takes to protect the health and well-being of all Californians.”
The next drawing is on Friday. Good luck.
Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
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