Among the 10 most populous cities in the state, San Diego is the only one to rely exclusively on retired judges. They also mentioned having a computer pick randomly from candidates deemed qualified.Ĭortez and Srinivas said San Diego’s use of retired judges only is out of step with California’s other big cities. They said another option could be a system modeled on Oakland’s appointing panel, which includes a retired judge, a local nonprofit leader and local student of law or public policy. “When the city charter sections related to redistricting were amended to add an independent appointing authority to the independent redistricting commission, the intent in using retired judges was to guarantee the appointing authority had no relation with city of San Diego elections,” Steinman told the Rules Committee.Ĭortez and her partner, Aashika Srinivas, said they will also explore other options for who would name redistricting commissioners, including the Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission. In addition, that commission is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, creating the potential for conflicts of interest and for making San Diego’s redistricting process more politicized.ĭeputy City Attorney Kathy Steinman said the proposed ballot measure raises significant legal issues. The council’s Rules Committee unanimously endorsed the proposed measure at its July 26 meeting, but committee members expressed concerns about which panel would end up picking the initial nine members of the redistricting commission.Ĭouncil President Sean Elo-Rivera said the Ethics Commission already has a large workload. “We thought in the previous redistricting cycle that a lot of the commissioners were acting as representatives of their district only,” said Leana Cortez, one of two UC San Diego students spearheading the proposed ballot measure.Ĭortez said adding four members with a citywide perspective could boost the role in the process of coalitions and ethnic groups that span multiple council districts. The nine initial appointees would pick the four at-large members. The four members tasked with taking a citywide perspective would be chosen after an initial nine appointees are selected.
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