13 Mar San Bernardino County! Your County Supervisors are up to Something …
In 2021, your county supervisors will be redistricting. What does this mean?
Currently, San Bernardino County has five supervisor districts. The size and location of each district is usually determined by population size. Given that we just conducted the U.S. Census in 2020, redistricting is now necessary. The last time our County Supervisor districts were redrawn was in 2011. Populations and communities change over time as new families move in and some may leave, meaning that the demographic make-up of a particular region changes over time as well.
Unlike Congressional redistricting, which has to abide by stringent redistricting and representation standards set forth by federal and state legislative bodies, county supervisors are given much more leeway in determining exactly where supervisor districts are drawn. Often, politicians will redraw district lines in a way that allows them to maximize power and leverage over the constituents they are elected to represent. One example of this is gerrymandering, in which politicians manipulate the drawing of district boundaries in an effort to establish political control over an area that would maybe otherwise be at a political disadvantage to their governance. You can see examples of gerrymandering in everyday life in the form of “bad neighborhoods” and “good neighborhoods.”
Other times, politicians will utilize gerrymandering to ensure they can run for re-election in the future. One requirement for running for supervisor in a particular district is that the candidate must reside within that district. This is why supervisors must ensure they continue to reside within the district bounds of the district they serve when those new lines are drawn.
Measure J barely skirted by San Bernardino County Voters with the passage of a 50-49% vote margin, passing with less than 1% of a majority vote. Operating under the guise of political transparency, the measure calls for the establishment of a county citizens redistricting Committee. According to the application for joining the committee, any San Bernardino County citizen who is registered to vote in the county is eligible to apply to be on the commission. However, a quick look at the application questions they are asking will tell you that they have a different type of committee candidate in mind.
According to the Clerk of the Board, Lynna Monnell, whom the county supervisors recently submitted a Temporary Restraining Order against to prevent the implementation of Measure K, members of the commission may NOT:
- Be an elected county official or a family member, staff member, or paid campaign staff member of an elected county official.
- Have served as a staff member of an elected official during the past four years.
- Have served in elected office or campaigned as a candidate for an elected office during the past four years.
- Have served as a member of a political party central committee during the past four years.
- Have contributed more than $500 per year to any candidate for elective office during the past four years.”
It should be noted that County Supervisors are not legally beholden to these commission standards set forth by the Clerk. Ultimately, Supervisors can appoint whoever they want to this commission, regardless if they meet the criteria listed above. Applications for the supervisor redistricting committee must be “signed in ink” and are due on April 5th by 5PM. They must be submitted in person or in mail to your county supervisor by the date above. The application is available here.