Bill Text: CA SB139 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Independent redistricting commissions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2020-01-13 - Veto sustained. [SB139 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SB139-Amended.html
(2)A commission member shall engage in conduct that is impartial and that reinforces public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process.
The amendment of Section 23004 of the Elections Code made by this act does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, existing law.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
Bill Title: Independent redistricting commissions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2020-01-13 - Veto sustained. [SB139 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SB139-Amended.html
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Assembly
June 12, 2019 |
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Amended
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Senate
May 17, 2019 |
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Amended
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Senate
May 01, 2019 |
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April 11, 2019 |
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Amended
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March 07, 2019 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Bill | No. 139 |
| Introduced by Senator Allen (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Gonzalez and Salas) (Coauthor: Senator Hertzberg) |
January 17, 2019 |
An act to amend Sections 23001, 23003, and 23004 of, and to add Section 23005 Sections 23005 and 23006 to, the Elections Code, relating to elections.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 139, as amended, Allen.
Independent redistricting commissions.
Existing law authorizes a local jurisdiction, defined as including a county, general law city, school district, community college district, or special district, to establish an independent redistricting commission, a hybrid redistricting commission, or an advisory redistricting commission to change, or recommend changes to, the district boundaries of the legislative body of the local jurisdiction. Existing law provides for the establishment of the County of Los Angeles Citizens Redistricting Commission and the County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission.
This bill would, with certain exceptions, require a county with more than 250,000 residents on and after January 1, 2019, and on and after January 1 of every subsequent year ending in the number 9, to establish a 10-member
either a 9-member or 12-member independent redistricting commission to adopt the county’s supervisorial districts after each federal decennial census pursuant to a specified procedure. The bill would require a county that does not establish a commission by March 1, 2020, and by March 1 of every subsequent year ending in the number zero to establish a 12-member commission pursuant to those procedures. The bill would require a commission established pursuant to those procedures to take steps to encourage county residents to participate in the redistricting process, and would specify certain procedures for the commission’s hearing process relating to notice, the number of hearings, and translation of hearings. The bill would require the county to provide for reasonable funding and staffing of the commission.
The bill would require the board of supervisors of a county to petition the superior court of the county for an order establishing supervisorial district boundaries if the independent redistricting commission does not adopt supervisorial district boundaries by a specified deadline. By increasing the duties of counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would clarify that a local jurisdiction that is partially or wholly located in the County of Los Angeles or the County of San Diego may contract with the County of Los Angeles Citizens Redistricting Commission and the County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission to adopt the local jurisdiction’s election district boundaries.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 23001 of the Elections Code is amended to read:23001.
(a) This chapter applies to a local jurisdiction in which the legislative body is elected by or from districts.(b) A local jurisdiction jurisdiction, except for a county that is required to create an independent redistricting commission pursuant to subdivision (c), may establish by resolution, ordinance, or charter amendment an independent redistricting commission, a hybrid redistricting commission, or an advisory redistricting commission to change the legislative body’s district boundaries or to recommend to the legislative body changes
to those district boundaries.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) or any other law, a A county with more than 250,000 residents on and after January 1, 2019, and on January 1 July 1, 2019, and on July 1 of every subsequent year ending in the number nine, shall establish an independent redistricting commission pursuant to either Section 23005
or 23006 to adopt the county’s supervisorial districts after each federal decennial census. If a county does not pass an ordinance to establish an independent redistricting commission pursuant to Section 23005 or 23006 by March 1, 2020, and by March 1 of every subsequent year ending in the number zero, the county shall establish an independent redistricting commission pursuant to Section 23005.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a county with 750,000 residents or less unless an appropriation for the purposes of paragraph (1) is made in the an annual Budget Act or other statute before the formation of an independent redistricting commission after each federal decennial census.
July 15, 2020, and before July 15 of every subsequent year ending in the number zero.
(d) For purposes of subdivision (c), the latest available estimate of a county’s population by the Department of Finance Finance, pursuant to Section 2227 of the Revenue and Taxation Code or a successor statute, on July 1 of each year ending in the number 9 is determinative.
(e) Subdivision (c) does not apply to a county
which adopted a ballot measure establishing an independent redistricting commission before January 1, 2019, unless that commission is subsequently repealed or invalidated by a court.
(f) This chapter does not apply to the following:
(1) A charter city and county.
(2) The County of Los Angeles, unless the commission established by Chapter 6.3 (commencing with Section 21530) of this division is repealed or invalidated by a court.
(3) The County of San Diego, unless the commission established by Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 21550) of this division is repealed or invalidated by a court.
SEC. 2.
Section 23003 of the Elections Code is amended to read:23003.
(a) This section applies to hybrid redistricting commissions and independent redistricting commissions.(b) Each member of the commission shall be at least 18 years old and a resident of the local jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any other law, the local jurisdiction jurisdiction, except for a county described in subdivision (c) of Section 23001, may prescribe the manner in which members are appointed to the commission, provided that the jurisdiction uses an application process open to all eligible residents and provided that
the commissioners are not directly appointed by the legislative body or an elected official of the local jurisdiction.
(c) A person shall not be appointed to serve on the commission if the person or any family member of the person has been elected or appointed to, or been a candidate for, an elective office of the local jurisdiction in the eight years preceding the person’s application.
(d) A person shall not be appointed to serve on the commission if either of the following applies:
(1) The person or the person’s spouse has done any of the following in the eight years preceding the person’s application:
(A) Served as an officer of, employee of, or paid
consultant to, a campaign committee or a candidate for elective office of the local jurisdiction.
(B) Served as an officer of, employee of, or paid consultant to, a political party or as an elected or appointed member of a political party central committee.
(C) Served as a staff member of, or a consultant to, or who has contracted with, a currently serving elected officer of the local jurisdiction.
(D) Been registered to lobby the local jurisdiction.
(E) Contributed five hundred dollars ($500) or more in a year to any candidate for an elective office of the local jurisdiction. The local jurisdiction may adjust this amount by the cumulative change in the
California Consumer Price Index, or its successor, in every year ending in zero.
(2) A family member of the person, other than the person’s spouse, has done any of the following in the four years preceding the person’s application:
(A) Served as an officer of, employee of, or paid consultant to, a campaign committee or a candidate for elective office of the local jurisdiction.
(B) Served as an officer of, employee of, or paid consultant to, a political party or as an elected or appointed member of a political party central committee.
(C) Served as a staff member of, or consultant to, or has contracted with, a currently serving elected officer of the local jurisdiction.
(D) Been registered to lobby the local jurisdiction.
(E) Contributed five hundred dollars ($500) or more in a year to any candidate for an elective office of the local jurisdiction. The local jurisdiction may adjust this amount by the cumulative change in the California Consumer Price Index, or its successor, in every year ending in zero.
(e) A member of the commission shall not do any of the following:
(1) While serving on the commission, endorse, work for, volunteer for, or make a campaign contribution to, a candidate for an elective office of the local jurisdiction.
(2) Be a candidate for
an elective office of the local jurisdiction if any of the following is true:
(A) Less than five years has elapsed since the date of the member’s appointment to the commission.
(B) The election for that office will be conducted using district boundaries that were adopted by the commission on which the member served, and those district boundaries have not been subsequently readopted by a commission after the end of the member’s term on the commission.
(C) The election for that office will be conducted using district boundaries that were adopted by a legislative body pursuant to a recommendation by the commission on which the member served, and those district boundaries have not been subsequently readopted by a legislative
body pursuant to a recommendation by a commission after the end of the member’s term on the commission.
(3) For four years commencing with the date of the member’s appointment to the commission:
(A) Accept employment as a staff member of, or consultant to, an elected official or candidate for elective office of the local jurisdiction.
(B) Receive a noncompetitively bid contract with the local jurisdiction.
(C) Register as a lobbyist for the local jurisdiction.
(4) For two years commencing with the date of the member’s appointment to the commission, accept an appointment to an office of the local
jurisdiction.
(f) The commission shall not be comprised entirely of members who are registered to vote with the same political party preference.
(g) Each member of the commission shall be a designated employee in the Conflict of Interest Code for the commission pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 87300) of Chapter 7 of Title 9 of the Government Code.
(h) The commission is subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code) and the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).
(i) The
commission shall be subject to the same redistricting deadlines, requirements, and restrictions that would otherwise apply to a legislative body. A Except for a county described in subdivision (c) of Section 23001, a local jurisdiction may also impose additional requirements and restrictions on the commission, on members of the commission, or on applicants to the commission in excess of those prescribed by this section.
(j) The commission shall publish a map of the proposed new district boundaries and make that map available to the public for at least seven days before that map may be adopted. The commission shall hold at least three public hearings preceding the hearing at
which the new boundaries are adopted.
(k) The commission shall not draw districts for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party or an incumbent or political candidate.
(l) District boundaries adopted by an independent redistricting commission or adopted by a legislative body from recommendations provided by a hybrid redistricting commission, shall not be altered by the legislative body or the commission until after the next federal decennial census occurs, unless those boundaries have been invalidated by a final judgment or order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or as may be necessary to account for changes to a jurisdiction’s territory, including changes through annexation or consolidation.
(m) For the purposes of subdivisions (c) and (d), “local jurisdiction” does not include a local jurisdiction that contracts with a county independent redistricting commission pursuant to Section 23004.
SEC. 3.
Section 23004 of the Elections Code is amended to read:23004.
(a) A local jurisdiction, except for a county, may contract with a county in which the local jurisdiction is partially or wholly located that has established an independent redistricting commission to have that commission adopt the local jurisdiction’s election district boundaries. The county independent redistricting commission shall hold at least three public hearings in the local jurisdiction before adopting those boundaries.(b) A local jurisdiction that is partially or wholly located within the County of Los Angeles or the County of San Diego may, with the approval of the board of supervisors of the county in which the local jurisdiction is located, contract with the independent redistricting
commission established by Chapter 6.3 (commencing with Section 21530) or Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 21550) of this division to adopt the local jurisdiction’s election district boundaries.
SEC. 4.
Section 23005 is added to the Elections Code, to read:23005.
(a) The following definitions apply to this section:(1) “Board” means the board of supervisors of a county.
(2) “County” means a county described in subdivision (b). either of the following:
(A) A county that is not required to establish an independent redistricting commission pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 23001, but which
elects to create a commission using the procedures established in this section.
(B) A county that is required to establish an independent redistricting commission pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 23001, and which elects or is required to use the procedures established in this section to establish the commission.
(3) “County elections official” means a county’s registrar of voters.
(4) “Screening panel” means the screening panel created pursuant to subdivision (d). a county’s civil
grand jury, as described in Title 4 (commencing with Section 888) of Part 2 of the Penal Code.
(b) In any county described in subdivision (c) of Section 23001, a county independent redistricting commission shall be
established pursuant to this section. The(1) This section establishes a county independent redistricting commission that shall comply with Section 23003.
(2) The commission shall consist of 10 12 members who shall be appointed on or before March 1, 2021, and on or before March 1 in each year ending in
the number one thereafter. The
(3) The political party preferences of the commission members, as shown on the members’ most recent affidavits of registration, shall be as proportional as possible to the total number of voters who are registered with each political party in that county or who decline to state or do not indicate a political party preference, based on voter registration at the most recent statewide election. However, a majority of commissioners shall not be registered with the same political party.
If a commission based on proportional representation as described in this paragraph would result in commissioners who are registered with the same political party occupying seven or more seats on the commission, each of those seats in excess of six seats shall instead be occupied by an individual who declines to state or does not indicate a political party preference.
(c) (1)The commission selection process described in this section is designed to produce a commission that is independent
from the influence of the board and reasonably representative of the county’s diversity.
(d)(1)To aid in the nomination of qualified applicants to the commission, the county elections official shall establish a three-member screening panel pursuant to this subdivision. The screening panel shall, to the extent practicable, include one of each of the following:
(A)A retired judge or a former member of a county civil grand jury.
(B)A professor of law, government, political science, public policy, or a similar field who teaches at an accredited institution of postsecondary education.
(C)A representative of a nonpartisan good government organization that is located in, or has members who reside in, the county and that is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)).
(2)The county elections official shall
divide the screening panel applicants into three subpools corresponding to the category of applicant described in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of paragraph (1). The county elections official shall then publicly select an applicant at random from each of the subpools. The county elections official shall give public notice of the date and location of that selection. If a selected candidate meets the eligibility criteria described in paragraph (4), the applicant shall be appointed to the screening panel. If a selected applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria described in paragraph (4), the applicant shall be removed from the pool of applicants and the county elections official shall randomly select another applicant. If a subpool has no qualified applicants, an applicant shall be randomly selected from the other subpools combined.
(3) The county elections official shall recruit qualified applicants for the screening panel over a period of no less than two consecutive months. This subdivision does not prevent a county elections official from recruiting screening panel applicants during the application period for applicants for appointment to the commission.
(4)A member of the screening panel is subject to the requirements of subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 23003.
When creating the initial pool and subpools of screening panel applicants, the county elections official may rely on a screening panel applicant’s certification that, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, the applicant meets those requirements.
(d) The commission selection process described in this section is designed to produce a commission that is independent from the influence of the board and reasonably representative of the county’s diversity.
(e) (1) Each member of a commission established pursuant to this section shall meet the requirements of subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of Section 23003 and shall be a voter who has been continuously
registered with the same political party preference or with no political party preference either during the five years immediately preceding the date of the member’s appointment to the commission or since the member registered to vote for the first time, whichever is shorter.
(2) Each commissioner shall also possess experience that demonstrates all of the following:
(A)Analytical skills relevant to the redistricting process and voting rights and the ability to comprehend and apply applicable state and federal legal requirements.
(B)Impartiality.
(A) The competency to carry out the responsibilities of the commission.
(B) The ability to serve with impartiality in a nonpartisan role.
(C) An appreciation for the diverse demographics and geography of the county.
(f) (1) The county shall recruit eligible residents to apply to serve on the commission. The county elections official shall request the assistance of neighborhood
associations, community groups, civic organizations, and civil rights organizations to encourage eligible residents of the county to apply to serve on the commission.
(2) An interested person meeting the qualifications specified in subdivision (e) may submit an application to the county elections official to be considered for membership on the commission. The county elections official shall designate an application period of at least two months.
shall be open for at least two months. If fewer than five people apply from each existing supervisorial district or fewer than 40 people apply in total, the county shall reopen the application period for a minimum of two weeks.
(3) The county elections official shall review applications for membership on the commission and eliminate applicants who do not meet the criteria specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). The county elections official may rely on an applicant’s certification that, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, the applicant meets the requirements of this section.
those criteria. During the application period the county elections official shall maintain and periodically update a public list of qualifying applicants and with the name, relevant demographic characteristics, and party affiliation of each qualifying applicant and shall review any allegations that an applicant on that list is ineligible to serve on the commission. commission pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). If those allegations are substantiated the county elections official
shall remove the applicant from consideration.
(g) (1) After the conclusion of the application process described in subdivision (f), members of the commission shall be selected pursuant to the following process:
(A) The county shall organize the eligible applications and transmit them, as well as any written public comment received concerning any applicant or the screening process, to the screening panel. The county shall also provide the screening panel with relevant demographic and party registration figures for the county. The county shall provide additional administrative support to the screening panel upon request.
(A)At a public hearing and after receiving public comment
(B) Notwithstanding Section 915 of the Penal Code, at one or more noticed public hearings, and after receiving public comment, the screening panel shall review the applications. The screening panel may ask questions of an applicant at a public meeting or request that the applicant answer written questions. The screening panel shall nominate for membership on the commission no less
fewer than 30 and no more than 40 of the most qualified applicants, based on the criteria specified in subdivision (e). The screening panel shall nominate at least three applicants from each supervisorial district. The political party preferences of the pool of nominees, as shown on the nominees’ most recent affidavits of registration, shall be approximately proportional to the number of voters who are registered with each political party in the county or who decline to state or do not indicate a party preference, based on voter registration at the most recent statewide election.
(B)
(C) The county elections official shall review the applications of the applicants nominated pursuant to subparagraph (A) (B) and remove from consideration any applicant who does not meet the eligibility criteria specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). If the pool of remaining nominees has fewer than 3 nominees from each supervisorial district or has fewer than 30 nominees in total, the screening panel shall nominate additional applicants so that those conditions are met. The county elections official shall
then divide the remaining nominees into five subpools corresponding to each of the five supervisorial districts in the county.
(C)
(D) At a regularly scheduled meeting of the board noticed public meeting the county elections official shall randomly select one nominee from each of the five subpools described in subparagraph (B).
(C). Those five nominees shall be appointed to the commission unless, if those nominees were appointed, it would be impossible to create a commission with members whose political party preferences would comply with subdivision (b). In that event the county elections official shall repeat the random selection as necessary until the composition of the political preferences of the selected nominees would make it possible to create a commission that complies with subdivision (b).
(D)
(E) The commissioners selected pursuant to subparagraph (C)
(D) shall review the remaining applicants in the subpools described in subparagraph (B) (C) and shall appoint, by majority vote, five seven additional applicants to the commission. The five seven appointees shall be chosen based on relevant experience, analytical skills, and ability to be impartial,
the factors described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e), and to ensure that the commission reflects the county’s diversity, including racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity. However, formulas or specific ratios shall not be applied for this purpose. The commissioners selected pursuant to subparagraph (C) (D) shall also consider political party preference and select applicants so that the composition of the political party preferences of the members of the commission comply with subdivision (b).
(E)
(F) The commission may, by majority vote, appoint an applicant from the pool of nominees described in subdivision (A) (B) to fill a vacancy that may occur on the commission, provided that the appointed applicant is registered with the same political party preference as the departed commissioner.
(2) A member of the board, or an agent for a member of the board, shall not communicate with either the screening panel or a member of the screening panel regarding whom to nominate for consideration on the commission, or with the
commissioners selected pursuant to subparagraph (C)
(D) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) regarding whom to appoint to the commission, except at a public hearing. hearing or by submitting a written public comment through a formal process.
(3)
(h) (1) The term of office of each member of the commission expires upon the appointment of the first member of a successor
commission.
(4)
(2) Five Seven members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. Six Seven or more affirmative votes of the commission are required to take an official action.
action, except the adoption of a final map shall require eight or more affirmative votes.
(h)
(i) (1) The commission shall conduct at least five public hearings, with at least one public hearing held in each supervisorial district, before adopting a final map. The commission shall schedule hearings at various times and on various days of the week to accommodate a variety of work schedules and to reach the largest possible audience.
(2) Notwithstanding Section 54954.2 of the Government
Code, the commission shall give notice of any public hearing on the county’s internet website at least seven days before the hearing.
(3) The commission shall publish a draft map on the internet for at least seven days before adopting it.
(4) (A) The commission shall provide a live translation of a hearing held pursuant to this section in an applicable language if a request for translation is made at least 72 hours before the hearing.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “applicable language” means a language in which ballots are required to be provided in the county pursuant to Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10503).
(i)
(j) The county and the commission shall take steps to encourage county residents to participate in the redistricting public review process. These steps may include the following:
(1) Providing information through media, social media, and public service announcements.
(2) Providing information through neighborhood associations, community groups, civic organizations, and civil rights organizations.
(3) Posting information on the county’s internet website that explains the
redistricting process and the procedures for testifying during a hearing or submitting written testimony directly to the commission.
(j)
(k) The board shall provide for reasonable funding and staffing of the commission.
(k)
(l) With any final map that the commission adopts, the commission
shall issue a report that explains the basis on which it made its decisions.
(m) (1) If the commission does not adopt supervisorial district boundaries by the deadline for completing county redistricting, the board shall immediately petition the superior court of the county for an order adopting supervisorial district boundaries. The petition shall include a copy of the two complete draft maps that received the most commissioner votes.
(2) Upon finding that a petition filed pursuant to paragraph (1) is valid, the superior court shall adopt supervisorial district boundaries, which shall be used in the county’s next regular election. The superior court shall
consider adopting one of the two draft maps filed with the petition, but may adopt different boundaries that better comply with the criteria established in Section 21500. The superior court may also order the adjustment of electoral deadlines as necessary to implement the new supervisorial district boundaries in the next regular election.
(3) The superior court may appoint a special master or other experts to assist the court with adopting the supervisorial district boundaries. The county shall pay the cost for any special master or expert.
(4) The superior court or the special master shall hold one or more public hearings before the superior court adopts the
supervisorial district boundaries.
(5) The supervisorial district boundaries adopted by the superior court shall be immediately effective in the same manner as if the commission had adopted the boundaries.
SEC. 5.
Section 23006 is added to the Elections Code, to read:23006.
(a) The following definitions apply to this section:(1) “Board” means the board of supervisors of a county.
(2) “County” means either of the following:
(A) A county that is not required to establish and independent redistricting commission pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 23001, but which elects to create a commission using the procedures established in this section.
(B) A county that is required to establish an independent redistricting commission pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 23001, and which elects to use the procedures established
in this section to establish the commission.
(3) “County elections official” means a county’s registrar of voters.
(4) “Screening panel” means a county’s civil grand jury, as described in Title 4 (commencing with Section 888) of Part 2 of the Penal Code.
(b) (1) This section establishes a county independent redistricting commission that shall comply with Section 23003.
(2) The commission shall consist of nine members, three of whom are registered with the largest political party in the county based on registration, three of whom are registered with the second-largest political party in the county based on registration, and three who are not registered with either of the two largest political parties in the county based on
registration. County political party registration shall be based on voter registration at the most recent statewide election. Commissioners shall be appointed on or before March 1, 2021, and on or before March 1 in each year ending in number 1 thereafter.
(c) A commission member shall engage in conduct that is impartial and that reinforces public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process.
(d) The commission selection process described in this section is designed to produce a commission that is independent from the influence of the board and reasonably representative of the county’s diversity.
(e) (1) Each member of a commission established pursuant to this section shall meet the requirements of subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of Section 23003 and shall be a voter who has been
continuously registered with the same political party preference or with no political party preference either during the five years immediately preceding the date of the member’s appointment to the commission or since the member registered to vote for the first time, whichever is shorter.
(2) Each commissioner shall also possess all of the following:
(A) The competency to carry out the responsibilities of the commission.
(B) The ability to serve with impartiality in a nonpartisan role.
(C) An appreciation for the diverse demographics and geography of the county.
(f) (1) The county shall recruit eligible residents to apply to serve on the commission. The county shall
request the assistance of neighborhood associations, community groups, civic organizations, and civil rights organizations to encourage eligible residents to apply to serve on the commission.
(2) An interested person meeting the qualifications specified in subdivision (e) may submit an application to the county to be considered for membership on the commission. The application period shall be open for at least two months. If fewer than five people apply from each existing supervisorial district or fewer than 40 people apply in total, the county shall reopen the application period for a minimum of two weeks.
(3) The county elections official shall review applications for membership on the commission and eliminate applicants who do not meet the criteria specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). The county elections official may rely on an applicant’s certification that, to the
best of the applicant’s knowledge, the applicant meets those criteria. During the application period the county shall maintain and periodically update a public list with the name, relevant demographic characteristics, and party affiliation of each qualifying applicant and shall review any allegations that an applicant on that list is ineligible to serve on the commission pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). If those allegations are substantiated the county elections official shall remove the applicant from consideration.
(g) (1) After the conclusion of the application process described in subdivision (f), members of the commission shall be selected pursuant to the following process:
(A) The county shall organize the eligible applications and transmit them, as well as any written public comment received concerning any applicant or the screening
process, to the screening panel. The county shall also provide the screening panel with relevant demographic and party registration figures for the county. The county shall provide additional administrative support to the screening panel upon request.
(B) Notwithstanding Section 915 of the Penal Code, at one or more noticed public hearings, and after receiving comment, the screening panel shall review the applications. The screening panel may ask questions of an applicant at a public meeting or request that the applicant answer written questions. The screening panel shall nominate for membership on the commission no fewer than 30 and no more than 40 of the most qualified applicants, based on the criteria specified in subdivision (e). The screening panel shall nominate at least three applicants from each supervisorial district. The political party preferences of the pool of nominees, as shown on the nominees’ most recent affidavits of
registration, shall be approximately evenly divided between applicants who are registered with the largest political party in the county, the second largest political party in the county, and neither of the two largest political parties in the county.
(C) The county elections official shall review the applications of the applicants nominated pursuant to subparagraph (B) and remove from consideration any applicant who does not meet the eligibility criteria specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). If the pool of remaining nominees has fewer than 30 applicants, the screening panel shall nominate additional applicants so that the pool has at least 30 applicants. The county shall then divide the remaining nominees into five subpools corresponding to each of the five supervisorial districts in the county.
(D) At a noticed public meeting the county elections official shall randomly
select one nominee from each of the five subpools described in subparagraph (C). Those five nominees shall be appointed to the commission unless, if those nominees were appointed, it would be impossible to create a commission with members whose political party preferences would comply with subdivision (b). In that event the county elections official shall repeat the random selection as necessary until the composition of the political preferences of the selected nominees would make it possible to create a commission that complies with subdivision (b).
(E) The commissioners selected pursuant to subparagraph (D) shall review the remaining applicants in the subpools described in subparagraph (C) and shall appoint, by majority vote, four additional applicants to the commission. The four appointees shall be chosen based on the factors described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e), and to ensure that the commission reflects the county’s diversity,
including racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity. However, formulas or specific ratios shall not be applied for this purpose. The commissioners selected pursuant to subparagraph (D) shall also consider political party preference and select applicants so that the composition of the political party preferences of the members of the commission comply with subdivision (b).
(F) The commission may, by majority vote, appoint an applicant from the pool of nominees described in subdivision (B) to fill a vacancy that may occur on the commission, provided that the appointed applicant is registered with the same political party preference as the departed commissioner.
(2) A member of the board, or an agent for a member of the board, shall not communicate with either the screening panel or a member of the screening panel regarding whom to nominate for consideration on the commission,
or with the commissioners selected pursuant to subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) regarding whom to appoint to the commission, except at a public hearing or by submitting a written public comment through a formal process.
(h) (1) The term of office of each member of the commission expires upon the appointment of the first member of a successor commission.
(2) Five members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. Five or more affirmative votes of the commission are required to take an official action, except the adoption of a final map shall also require the affirmative vote of one commissioner who is registered with the largest political party in the county, one commissioner who is registered with the second largest political party in the county, and one commissioner who is not registered with either of the two largest political parties
in the county.
(i) (1) The commission shall conduct at least five public hearings, with at least one public hearing held in each supervisorial district, before adopting a final map. The commission shall schedule hearings at various times and on various days of the week to accommodate a variety of work schedules and to reach the largest possible audience.
(2) Notwithstanding Section 54954.2 of the Government Code, the commission shall give notice of any public hearing on the county’s internet website at least seven days before the hearing.
(3) The commission shall publish a draft map on the internet for at least seven days before adopting it.
(4) (A) The commission shall provide a live translation of a hearing
held pursuant to this section in an applicable language if a request for translation is made at least 72 hours before the hearing.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “applicable language” means a language in which ballots are required to be provided in the county pursuant to Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10503).
(j) The county and the commission shall take steps to encourage county residents to participate in the redistricting public review process. These steps may include the following:
(1) Providing information through media, social media, and public service announcements.
(2) Providing information through neighborhood associations, community groups, civic organizations, and civil rights organizations.
(3) Posting information on the county’s internet website that explains the redistricting process and the procedures for testifying during a hearing or submitting written testimony directly to the commission.
(k) The board shall provide for reasonable funding and staffing of the commission.
(l) With any final map that the commission adopts, the commission shall issue a report that explains the basis on which it made its decisions.
(m) (1) If the commission does not adopt supervisorial district boundaries by the deadline for completing county redistricting, the board shall immediately petition the superior court of the county for an order adopting supervisorial district boundaries. The petition shall include a copy of the two
complete draft maps which received the most commissioner votes.
(2) Upon finding that petition filed pursuant to paragraph (1) is valid, the superior court shall adopt supervisorial district boundaries, which shall be used in the county’s next regular election. The superior court shall consider adopting one of the two draft maps filed with the petition, but may adopt different boundaries that better comply with the criteria established in Section 21500. The superior court may also order the adjustment of electoral deadlines as necessary to implement the new supervisorial district boundaries in the next regular election.
(3) The superior court may appoint a special master or other experts to assist the court with adopting the supervisorial district boundaries. The county shall pay the cost for any special master or expert.
(4) The superior court or the special master shall hold one or more public hearings before the superior court adopts the supervisorial district boundaries.
(5) The supervisorial district boundaries adopted by the superior court shall be immediately effective in the same manner as if the commission had adopted the boundaries.
