San Diego- On June 11, California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle held a press conference in La Jolla to address Shape California’s Future. The Auditor’s office held the meeting to discuss the opening of the application process to serve on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission.
The press conference was attended by multiple leaders in the county, including Republican Party of San Diego County Executive Director Jordan Gascon, Asian Business Association President and Chief Operating Officer Jason Paguio, League of Women Voters of San Diego County President Lori Thiel, San Diego Urban League Chief Operating Officer Al Abdullah, California Common Cause Executive Director Rey Lòpez-Calderòn, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Director of Political Affairs Education and Workforce Development Policy Sarah Kamiab, and San Diego County Democratic Party Chairman William Rodriguez-Kennedy.
Chairman Rodriguez-Kennedy clearly did not understand the importance of this commission, since he missed more than half the conference and in his poorly practiced speech, he could not decide between partisanship and bipartisanship. The chairman also showed up underdressed, unprepared, and uninterested.
The Auditor’s office is spearheading this to have the best candidates for the redistricting of the state. The goal is to have five members from the Democrat Party, five from the Republican Party, and four non-partisan members that make up the 14-member commission.
The press conference was a chance for leaders around the county to give their input and support bipartisanship in an attempt to avoid gerrymandering. Republican Party of San Diego County Executive Director Jordan Gascon hit the nail on the head regarding the purpose of the press conference, explaining that “politicians should NEVER select the voters, the voters should select the politicians.”
