Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment
14622 Ventura Blvd. #424, Sherman Oaks, CA. 91403
February 19, 2011 www.valleyvote.org
Contact: Joe Vitti at javittisr@cs.com
The Valley VOTE Board of Directors has approved the following Motion:
Valley VOTE endorses the following principles for redistricting of the San Fernando Valley by the State Redistricting Commission.
1. The San Fernando Valley is a geographical area roughly bounded by the Santa Susana Mountains to the north and west, the Mulholland Drive to the south, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the East. It lies wholly within Los Angeles County and includes the cities of Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Hidden Hills, and San Fernando, as well as the Valley portion of the City of Los Angeles.
2. The new process for redistricting legislative, Board of Equalization and Congressional districts is a public process, and Valley VOTE will engage in this process in order to improve legislative representation in the San Fernando Valley.
3. Valley VOTE continues to support the creation of districts that maximize the connection that legislators have with the San Fernando Valley.
4. The San Fernando Valley is best served by a redistricting that maximizes the number of districts that are either wholly within the Valley or in which the Valley citizens are the most influential voter bloc.
5. Valley VOTE's goals for redistricting are nonpartisan and are only to be shaped by the interest of maximizing representation and advancing goals of Valley business and residents.
6. All recognized communities, where possible, should be kept together as part of compact and contiguous districts which shall recognize geographic features and natural boundaries.
7. All districts should be numbered sequentially from north to south.
8. Two Assembly district seats should be within a state Senate district.
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Background
Partisan gridlock in Sacramento has prevented lawmakers from dealing effectively with many state issues. A significant factor contributing to this inaction is that legislators were responsible for creating state wide district boundaries contributing to an unacceptable reelection rate of incumbents in California legislative races. In August of 2008 the Valley VOTE Board of Directors overwhelming approved Proposition 11 the "Redistricting Constitutional Amendment and Statute," also known as the California "Voters First" initiative. Passage of Proposition 11 by the state electorate resulted in the creation of a 14 member independent Redistricting Commission charged with the task of developing new legislative boundary lines based upon nonpartisan rules. This new Commission is now at work creating these new legislative districts that will be utilized starting with elections after January of 2012.
(The Valley VOTE redistricting principles are similar to the recommendations set forth initially by Stuart Waldman, President of Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) at the Valley VOTE meeting on Jan.17, 2011.)
Valley VOTE Mission Statement
Valley VOTE, a diverse coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, businesspeople, educators, community activists, and organizations, is committed to exploring and fostering the implementation of programs that empower the people of the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles, to improve local governance, education and public participation on policy matters.
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