Should one state senator represent Fresno and Bakersfield? Chamber criticizes draft plan
The Fresno Chamber of Commerce requested in a letter sent Tuesday that the California Citizens Redistricting Commission make changes to a draft map for a state senate seat in the San Joaquin Valley.
The Fresno law firm Wanger Jones Helsley PC penned the letter on behalf of the Chamber regarding the draft map for the “Fresno-Kern” state senate district.
The draft maps were approved by the commission on Thursday. Public input sessions begin next week, and changes still are possible.
The draft visualization for the state senate districts splits the city of Fresno into two senate districts, and the county is split into three.
The Fresno-Kern district nearly reaches Mammoth Lakes at one northeast corner, jogs along Millerton and Fort Washington, includes the city of Clovis and then splits the city of Sanger. The district includes the city of Visalia and other smaller Tulare County and mountain communities to the east, then shoots down to include parts of Kern County, including Bakersfield and Oildale. To the west, the district includes Maricopa, and along the southeast edge the district dips into the Mojave Desert and includes California City and Ridgecrest.
The other draft district that includes Fresno is the San Benito-Fresno district. It includes the city of Fresno west of Highway 99, western Fresno County, eastern San Benito County and cities such as Hollister and Soledad and parts of Pinnacles National Park.
Scott Miller, president and CEO of the Fresno Chamber, said in an interview with The Bee that the visualizations came as a surprise to the Chamber.
The Fresno Chamber in its letter points out that the Fresno-Kern map includes the state’s fifth-largest city (Fresno) and the ninth-largest (Bakersfield).
“There is a significant danger that Fresno will not have any local representative in the state senate, but instead will be represented solely by senators from Kern County, on the one hand, and San Benito and/or Monterey Counties, on the other,” the letter says. “This result is untenable for the fifth largest city in California.”
Fresno and Bakersfield will be the only top 10 largest cities in the state to share a state senate district, the letter notes. The cities don’t make up a community of interest, thus making the draft map out of compliance with Proposition 11, the state law that gives redistricting power to a citizen commission.
Fresno and Kern counties don’t share economic interests, Miller said. Kern County’s economy relies on oil, while Fresno’s relies on agriculture, he said.
“Chances are we would have different different political wish lists,” Miller said.
Instead, the Chamber suggested Fresno and Clovis be grouped together, and to the north that the city of Modesto be included in the Sacramento-Stanislaus district.
While the law firm represents the Chamber and sent the letter on the Chamber’s behalf, Miller said legal action is not the desired outcome, though it remains a possibility.
Fredy Ceja, communications director for the commission, told The Bee via email the commission received a number of letters and public input. “There is plenty of opportunity for the public to continue weighing in to shape the final maps,” he said.
Split of Fresno Hmong, Muslim communities noted
The Chamber is not alone in its complaints about how the maps split Fresno.
Several advocates submitted public comments expressing concern over the split of Fresno’s Hmong and Muslim communities in the districts.
Kern and Fresno county residents also expressed displeasure over sharing a district.
“Residents of Fresno, Clovis, Three Rivers, and Tulare County have all expressed that they do not want to be included with a district that goes into Bakersfield, and Bakersfield residents have expressed that they do not want to be included with these areas,” Ralph Burnette said in one comment.
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 7:06 AM.