This year, in an unprecedented process, California asked a citizens commission to redraw the boundaries of Congressional and legislative districts. Fourteen Californians – Democrats, Republicans, and independents – did the work that traditionally was performed by elected officials or the courts. This new process was touted as a way to create fairer and more competitive districts, prevent politicians from designing districts out of self-interest, and produce more moderate legislators and Congressmen.
Did the reform produce results? What was the process like? What were its advantages and disadvantages? Are the districts different than those that would have been drawn under the old system? Will the Legislature or the Congress change as a result? We examine California's bold redistricting experiment.
Conference Summary
News Coverage:
Schedule
Noon – 1:45 p.m.
Lunch Session
iTunes Audio File
12:20-12:30 - Welcome & Introductions by Jack Citrin, IGS Director
12:30-12:45 - Historical Overview by Thad Kousser, UC-San Diego
12:45-1:45 - Commissioners Maria Blanco, Jodie Filkins Webber, and Michelle DiGuilio in conversation with John Myers, KQED
1:45 – 2 p.m.
Break
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Panel 1: The Practitioners' Analysis
iTunes Audio File
Charles T. Munger, Jr., Proponent, Proposition 20 – Redistricting Reform
Matt Rexroad, Republican consultant
Paul Mitchell, Democratic consultant
Kathay Feng, California Common Cause
Roy Ulrich Chair, UC Berkeley
3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Break
3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Panel 2: The Academic Analysis
iTunes Audio File
Justin Levitt, Loyola School of Law
Jeff Lewis and Iris Hui, UCLA
Eric McGhee, Public Policy Institute of California
Pamela S. Karlan, Stanford Law School
Jack Citrin Chair, UC Berkeley