Fresno County leaders pick a district map. Opponents call for independent commission
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors picked their district map for the next decade on Tuesday as detractors pledged to change a system criticized as partisan.
The majority of the supervisors stuck with the map they chose in November — with a few minor amendments — that opponents called status quo.
“I truly believe we’ve done everything possible to protect our geographic communities of interest,” Supervisor Steve Brandau said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Critics were calling for an overhaul that would merge the rural westside into one district and, they argued, keep underprivileged communities together, giving them more voting power. But the majority of the supervisors said they wanted to conserve traditional neighborhoods.
The only supervisor to oppose the map was Sal Quintero, who opposed it previously as too close to what the county has used for decades.
“I felt the other map pushed what we were looking for as far as being community driven,” he said.
The overwhelmingly Republican board has been accused of trying to hold onto power, as registered Democrats in Fresno County are now counted almost eight points higher than Republicans, 39.7% to 32%, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. That’s a change from an almost dead-even split a decade ago.
Latinos are also the majority now in Fresno County.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig said the county leaders balanced the input they got from the community with what standards they are legally required to meet with the next map.
Independent commission
Detractors continued Tuesday to call for a redistricting independent commission, which is used by four of California’s largest counties as well as when drawing statewide maps for elections, according to Common Cause, a nonprofit which advocates for governing changes like independent commissions.
“The supervisors adopted a map that was essentially the same one as drawn in 1991,” Common Cause organizer Luis Huerta Silva said. “You can’t blame community members for being cynical.”
Central California Coalition for Equitable Realignment member Michael Evans, who is a former chairperson of the Fresno County Democratic Party, called for the supervisors to immediately set up a committee to prepare an independent commission for the next redistricting effort, which is in a decade.
Communities for a New California organizer Pedro Navarro Cruz said he was also calling for a change in how the county redistricts, saying an independent commission is necessary.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he said while speaking to the supervisors. “We will keep on knocking doors and make sure we get our own buddies in office.”
