For those following the redistricting process this year you know that two major concerns arose for Brentwood: splitting Brentwood into multiple legislative districts and excluding the Veterans Administration property from the Congressional district for Brentwood.
The 14-member California Redistricting Commission, composed of five Democrats, five Republicans and four independents,Commission, conducted 34 public input hearings throughout the state and heard testimony from over 2,700 individuals, including Brentwood Community Council President, Nancy Freedman.
The final maps released by the California Redistricting Commission on July 29 resolved the concerns of Brentwood residents. The final maps place all of Brentwood in the same Congressional, State Senate and Assembly districts and the Veterans Administration property also remains in our Congressional district. The Commission voted 12-2 to approve the final maps. In other words, three of the five Republicans voted “yes,†even though many observers feel the new districts will cause the GOP to lose a number of incumbent Republicans, including the prominent Chairman of the House Rules Committeee, David Dreier of San Dimas in the San Gabriel Valley.
Technically the final maps will not be formally ratified by the Commission until it votes again on August 15, but it now appears highly likely the new maps will receive an affirmative vote by a large majority of the Commission. Persons dissatisfied with the re-drawn districts may still file legal challenges and there are indications from some Republicans that they may do this. There were also some earlier threats from minority groups to earlier drafts, but those criticisms appear to have gone away based on the final maps.
