HomeMy WebLinkAbout2_17_2021_Open Session_Agenda Item 6 _Isenberg, Jody_ Redistricting Commission_links sanitizedFrom:Jody I
To:Public Comments
Subject:February 17, 2021 -- Open Session -- Agenda Item 6
Date:Wednesday, February 17, 2021 3:56:26 PM
Caution - This email originated from outside the City - Verify that the Email display name and Email address are consistent. - Use caution when opening attachments.
To the Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers
My name is Jody Isenberg. I am a 45-year resident of the City of San Bernardino and the
current Co-President, along with Betsy Starbuck, of the San Bernardino Area League of
Women Voters. I submit this comment regarding the proposed redistricting commission in
both capacities.
The LWV, as you know, is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting good and
responsive government by studying policy issues and educating voters. The League has
concluded that redistricting, at all levels of government, from school boards to congressional
districts, should be the product of an independent commission. The primary reason is that the
process should be fair and include input from all citizens. Elected officials have a vested
interest in the outcome of how district, or ward, maps are drawn. In order for the process to be
entirely transparent and fair, as well as to avoid any actual or perceived inappropriate
influence, an independent commission is the most logical and best choice..
The council staff recommends that council members should authorize an advisory commission
that would make recommendations but ultimately the ward boundaries would be determined
by the council. The purported rationale, that council members are elected by the voters and
therefore are responsive to them, is cynical in my view. That rationale ignores the obvious
conflict of interest council members have in drawing ward boundaries that
ultimately determine who their voters will be. Moreover, and with all due respect, most
elected officials are responsive to their voters primarily at election time. That very election
process is at the heart of redistricting and therefore redistricting should be conducted by an
independent commission, just like the process used by the State of California.
I appreciate your time and again urge you to adopt an independent redistricting commission.