Mayor calls Morgan Hill a poster child for redistricting
Morgan Hill’s mayor and the city council unanimously endorsed Proposition 77, which, if passed, will change the way political districts are drawn in California.
Upset at the process that separated the city from neighboring areas with similar demographics and interests, the City Council joined several other angry cities, including Gilroy, in suing the state for relief in 2001. The state Supreme Court refused to accept the case in 2003; one by one, each lawsuit was dismissed.
“As we all recall, Morgan Hill is a poster child for gerrymandering of districts and we felt that consistent with our previous action in filing a lawsuit with the state against redistricting, that it would be appropriate for our council to support Proposition 77,” said Mayor Dennis Kennedy, who is a member of the Regional Planning and Transportation Subcommittee, which recommended the council’s support.
When the last redistricting effort split South County in three congressional districts, many people accused the legislature of gerrymandering. The new electoral districts, drawn after the 2000 census, ripped Morgan Hill away from its South County/Silicon Valley neighbors in Mike Honda’s 15th Congressional District and joined them with Central Valley residents of Richard Pombo’s 11th Congressional District. Pombo’s district covers primarily Central Valley towns, north to Lodi and only takes in Morgan Hill at the edge. San Martin, Gilroy and San Jose are not part of the district.
The City Council was unhappy with being severed from their previous district, with whom they shared similar social and economic interests. In the 11th Congressional District, the city of Morgan Hill is now lumped with Central Valley’s agricultural and more conservative interests.
Morgan Hill is paired with San Martin in the 15th State Senate District, represented by Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria. District 15 includes parts of the counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo, the southeast portion of Santa Clara County (including Morgan Hill and San Martin, but not Gilroy) and the northern portion of Santa Barbara County.
In the 21st State Assembly District, Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, now represents Morgan Hill and San Martin, but not Gilroy.
Proposition 77 is one of eight initiatives that will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. Passage of the initiative would mean amending the California Constitution’s redistricting process so that boundaries for political districts – California’s Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of Equalization districts – would be drawn by a three-member panel of retired judges selected by legislative leaders and approved by voters at statewide elections.
At present, California reassesses its 173 legislative and congressional districts after every census, adding congressional districts according to population changes nationwide. Boundaries for political districts are drawn by the Legislature and approved by the Governor and a redistricting plan is developed after each federal census.
“We need to stand up for our citizens here in Morgan Hill and our constituents and make sure they have a voice which I don’t feel they have very well at the state and federal level,” Councilman Larry Carr said.
Councilman Greg Sellers said it is “frustrating” that the initiative should be in the ballot, and noted the proposition is an opportunity for the Legislature to rectify its mistakes. He said the proposition “is in some ways a flawed process, but it’s a whole lot better than what we got now.”
“Whenever I think of the fact that Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin are in three different congressional districts, it’s all the evidence you need to know that the system, as it is now, is significantly flawed,” Sellers added.
Rose Meily cover City Hall for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach her at 779-4106 ext. 201 or by e-mail at rm****@*************es.com
