The California Supreme Court today twice cited a new IGS study in its decision declaring that the 2012 state Senate elections will be conducted under maps drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission, even if a referendum challenging the commission maps is certified for the ballot.
The study, "Redistricting California: An Evaluation of the Citizens Commission Final Plans," will appear in a forthcoming special issue of the California Journal of Politics and Policy, which is published online by IGS. The study, which is already available at the IGS website, was authored by Eric McGhee of the Public Policy Institute of California and by Vlad Kogan of the University of California, San Diego.
Critics of the Commission have submitted signatures for a referendum that would block use of the panel's Senate maps. However the referendum cannot go to voters before November of 2012, giving rise to a dispute over the maps that should be used for the 2012 elections. The Supreme Court ruled that the Commission maps will be used.
The Supreme Court quoted the IGS study: "Academic observers have concluded that the Commission's maps, including the certified state Senate map, 'represent an important improvement on the legislature-led redistricting of 2001. The new district boundaries kept more communities together and created more compact districts while at the same time increasing opportunities for minority representation. ... These maps ... have the potential to modestly increase competition in California elections and the responsiveness of the legislative branch to changing voter preferences.'"
The high court also cited the IGS study in discussing the history of the redistricting that followed the 1980 census.
The court's opinion is here, with citations of the IGS study on pages 48 and 61.
McGhee and Kogan found that the Commission's maps are less gerrymandered than the districts in place since 2001, and will likely lead to more electoral victories for Democrats. The IGS press release regarding the study is here, and the full study is here.

The Harold Smith seminar presents Dean Wilkening (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Theodore Postol (MIT), and Michael Nacht (University of California, Berkeley) in a panel discussion of the issues confronting ballistic missile defense policies.
Wednesday, February 1, 4-6 pm
IGS Library, 109 Moses Hall

Each fellow is given a stipend of $27,500 and an opportunity to work at the governmental or non-profit organization of their choosing for 10 months. During their fellowship, they are placed with a high-level senior mentor. Three graduating seniors from UC Berkeley and three from Stanford University receive the fellowship annually.
See the program page for application details.

Each semester, the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service provides scholarship funding for two undergraduates as they pursue a full course load and an internship in the nation’s capitol. To learn about their "inside the beltway" experiences, check out the latest installment of the IGS Zipline.

The 31st Annual Review of the Presidency
Monday April 2, 7:30 p.m. -- 105 Stanley Hall
Free and open to the public
As President Obama seeks a second term, we examine his presidency and the 2012 election. Is the president to blame for the stagnant economy that has bedeviled his administration? Would any president have been able to engineer a speedier economic recovery? How has the president managed the foreign policy challenges of his time? Has he met the need for symbolic leadership from the president? And what of the Republicans who seek to replace him? Four years after a dramatic election that made American history, what should we expect from the election of 2012?
For more information, visit the event homepage.