Making Sense of Redistricting

Two things can be said with assurance about Orange County’s upcoming reconfiguration of supervisorial districts. The first is that the meandering lines that currently exist are likely to be replaced with new meandering lines. The second is that politics will be at play no matter how things look.

Realistically speaking, political considerations are intrinsic to redistricting. But they ought not lead to bizarre maps. These decisions will affect the county for a long time. Even the most self-serving political calculations will, if successful, aid their architects only for a short time.

Although a number of proposals are on the table, the reality is that the decision will be made by the county supervisors alone. James Campbell, an aide to Supervisor Chuck Smith, is chairman of the committee considering proposals. Initially, his eight options were the only ones coming from supervisors, but last week one was submitted from the office of Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad. A total of 13 proposals last week, including some from outside groups, were whittled to about six.

Smith has been a lightning rod of division within the county, so an approach to redistricting that is led from his office is bound to raise some concerns. It was Smith who dug in his heels during his tenure as chairman of the Board of Supervisors on the El Toro airport controversy and left the county today with unresolved geopolitical differences.

Campbell has come up with a plan that puts most of South County in one district and dilutes the power of Irvine, the El Toro base’s immediate neighbor, by combining it in a newly configured third district. If that plan prevails, it could leave the county with only one seat representing interests from Irvine south.

Configuring districts that play to the political strengths of incumbent board members is to be expected. But the official plan would be short-sighted if it made the El Toro airport debate the deciding factor in redistricting.

It’s very possible that the fate of the airport will be decided one way or the other next March in a ballot initiative. The redistricting plan that supervisors approve will have to be lived with for a decade. It makes no sense to have one policy issue or political ambition be the determinant of the shape of county representation.

Another consideration is that term limits will come into play on any decision to configure districts around the ambitions of any particular set of incumbents. Everyone now sitting on the board will be gone by 2006.

New district boundaries should serve the constituents first, not those who serve. Among the factors to consider are whether a seat is created that maximizes the voting strength of Latinos. The current configuration splits Santa Ana, which is 76% Latino, into three districts. Asians also have increased in numbers. The plans now under consideration have the benefit of placing the county seat within one district, which is a good starting point. A plan proposed by the League of United Latin American Citizens maximizes Latino strength not only in Santa Ana, but also in Anaheim.

The League of Women Voters’ proposal places a high premium on keeping existing cities intact. That avoids unnecessary rancor, as surely would follow splitting Irvine. Moreover, the county has undergone a period of incorporation, and keeping existing cities together would make it easier for supervisors to work with city representatives.

One way or the other, the public hasn’t been involved enough to date, and should be. Supervisors will hold their first public hearing on the boundaries June 26 and will select the final map July 17. Ultimately, this is the public’s business and the public should be heard.

Inevitably, redistricting will come down to arm-wrestling among supervisors. But while practicing realpolitik, supervisors should recognize the new muscle of cities. They represent sophisticated entities that citizens identify with, perhaps more than with the county board.

These are different times, requiring an approach that helps both the county and the cities.