“It’s Deja Vu all over again” baseball’s Yogi Berra once said, and tonight KUSI-TV news hints that could be happening with redrawing of San Diego City Council districts. You can see KUSI’s lengthy story here. Political bias in the process was supposed to have ended in 1992 when voters approved an “independent” commission to do the job, but KUSI asks whether that old problem has returned.
……….Here is KUSI’s summary of the situation:
“Seven largely unknown San Diegans have been quietly re-mapping the political landscape of the city, and in the process they will carve out a new 9th City Council district. It’s called “redistricting,” and its history in this city is filled with controversy.
Twenty years ago the City Council gerrymandered a district so Bob Filner didn’t have to change his residence, and a fight over the boundary for District 5 led to the recall of another council member. Then, ten years later, City Heights was split up into three council districts. This time around we have what is supposed to be an independent, non-partisan commission. But is it truly independent and nonpartisan?”
http://www.kusi.com/story/14470377/controversy-surrounds-latest-redistricting-effort
___________________________________________________________________________
………..The Last Remap Fight (1991) and Recall of a Councilwoman
The last major fight over SD Council redistricting led to the recall of then-Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt in 1991 when she voted for a map seen by many as a liberal gerrymander. After her defeat (by a 72% majority), the proposed map was repealed by the City Council. It was the first successful SD Council recall since 1917.