Policy Committees Approve Cervantes Bill to Create an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors

(SACRAMENTO) – Today, both the Assembly Elections Committee and the Assembly Local Government Committee approved Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes’s (D-Corona) Assembly Bill 1307, which would create an independent citizens redistricting commission to draw district boundaries for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. The bill would require that, after the completion of the 2030 Census, Riverside County constitute a commission to complete the 2030 round of redistricting. The commission would also be reconstituted after every census to draw Riverside County’s supervisorial districts in subsequent redistricting cycles.

In early December, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to adopt a supervisorial district map for the 2020 round of redistricting that fractures the Latino community in the County, diluting the Latino community’s voting power and capacity to elect representatives of their choice. “This failure of a majority of the Board of Supervisors to protect voting rights and comply with state and federal law illustrates why an independent citizens redistricting commission is needed to draw fair maps for Riverside County,” said Assemblymember Cervantes.

AB 1307 is modeled after Senate Bill 958 (Lara, 2016) which successfully created an independent citizens redistricting commission for Los Angeles County. The partisan makeup of the commission would be proportional to the partisan makeup of Riverside County voters. The process of selecting citizen redistricting commissioners is similar to the process used by the statewide independent citizens redistricting commission. The bill also sets out eligibility criteria and restrictions for members of the commission, mostly based on an individual’s current employment or employment history. Individuals who have been candidates for or elected to public office within the preceding ten years would be ineligible to serve as commissioners.

“Assembly Bill 1307 ensures that members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors cannot draw their own district boundaries for their own benefit, and instead places that power where it rightfully belongs—with the people,” added Assemblymember Cervantes. “Members of the State Legislature like myself do not get to draw their own districts. Why should members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors be any different?”

Both Los Angeles and San Diego counties employ independent commissions to draw boundaries for their supervisorial districts. If the two most populous counties in California are able to use independent commissions to draw their maps, then Riverside as the state’s fourth most populous county can as well. And because the bill would not require the creation of a commission until after the 2030 Census, Riverside County would have almost a decade to prepare for implementation.

AB 1307 passed the Assembly Elections Committee, by a vote of 6-1, and the Assembly Local Government Committee, by a vote of 6-2. The bill will next be given a hearing by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. You can find more information about AB 1307 here.

# # #

Sabrina Cervantes is a mother who proudly represents the 60th District of the California State Assembly, which encompasses the cities of Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco, a portion of Riverside, and the unincorporated communities of Coronita, El Cerrito, and Home Gardens. Cervantes serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy.

For further information, please visit my website. Follow me on social media: