Redistricting Puts San Leandro in Voting Booth with Northern Neighbors

With the redrawing of district lines made official this week, San Leandro will be voting with entirely new casts of neighbors when deciding its state and federal representatives for the next decade.

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted Monday to approve new maps for Assembly, state Senate, Congressional and Board of Equalization districts. The changes will go into effect following 2012 and 2014 elections, depending on when seats are up for election.

Preliminary maps for redistricting were released last month.

In addition to voting with different cities, the new district lines mean San Leandro will be voting for different candidates in the state Assembly and Senate, as well as in the House of Representatives.

Most of San Leandro will switch from the 10th state Senate district to the 9th district, with a portion of the city remaining in the 10th district.

The city will remain in the 13th Congressional and 18th state Assembly districts, but other than the names staying the same, the districts will be considerably different. 

In all three political arenas, San Leandro's voting allegiances will shift from cities to the east and south to mostly cities north of its borders.

For state Assembly, San Leandro will join a district with Oakland and Alameda district, which is currently represented by Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland). San Leandro will be leaving a district currently represented by Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward).

In the state Senate, San Leandro will be the southern-most city in a district that stretches north to Hercules and Rodeo. It is currently represented by Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley). About 9 percent of the city’s population — including the Lower Bal neighborhood— will remain in the 10th district, which is currently represented by Senate Majority Leader and San Leandro resident Ellen Corbett.

San Leandro will also be the southernmost city in its new Congressional district, in which it will be grouped with all Alameda County cities to the north in a district currently represented by Barbara Lee (D-Oakland). The city's current representative, Pete Stark (D-Fremont), is campaigning for the 2012 election in the newly-drawn District 15, which wraps around San Leandro to the south and east.

Redistricting of the state Board of Equalization, which is split into four districts, will not affect San Leandro.

Approved by voters in November 2008, Proposition 11 gave the Commission the authority to draw the new district lines on the electoral maps for the Assembly, State Senate and Board of Equalization. In November 2010, voters voted to have the Commission draw the congressional lines, too.

"For far too long Californians have been frustrated by a Legislature that drew districts that primarily supported the re-election of incumbent legislators," Commissioner Vince Barabba said in reference to gerrymandering and the need for the new process, which he called "transparent and fair."

"The voters showed they wanted fundamental government reform by creating the Citizens Redistricting Commission charged with the responsibility to create districts that provided candidates of all political persuasion a fair chance to be elected," he said.  

The Commission submitted final redistricting maps Monday to the Secretary of State for certification. The public now has 45 days to file any complaints, which will be reviewed by the California Supreme Court, according to spokesman Rob Wilcox.

The commission approved Board of Equalization, State Assembly, State Senate and congressional maps by votes of 13-1, 13-1, 13-1 and 12-2, respectively, Wilcox added.

The maps will take effect in time for the June 2012 primary, unless the courts issue an order precluding their use, Wilcox noted.

In the 65-page report, the Commission detailed its methodology, which included their attempt to fold Assembly districts into one-Senate districts and keep communities with shared interests together.

The commissioners, 14 citizens chosen from an applicant pool of more than 36,000, cannot hold public office for the next 10 years, or work in the Legislature or be a lobbyist for five years after the maps have been certified.

In total, 34 public meetings in 32 locations around the state took place, and more than 2,700 people participated in person. The commission received 20,000 written comments.

Nika Megino, Adelaide Chen, Sheila Sanchez and Alejando Lopez de Haro contributed to this article.