By Gary Rotto
SAN DIEGO — The dust has finally settled and the
California Citizens Redistricting Commission has concluded its work.
The final maps for Congress, the Board of
Equalization, State Senate, and State Assembly have been released.
I wrote previously of a possible map that included
most of the Jewish community in our region.
The revision to the State Senate map went even further in including
additional foci of the Jewish community.
State Senate District 39 now includes not only Del Cerro and Carmel
Valley, but also La Jolla, University City and Rancho Bernardo. While the new district is home to a very high
number of independent voters – 26% are registered as “Decline to State”, the
results in the Gubernatorial and President elections over the past four years
predict that this is a district that votes for Democrats. And with incumbent Senator Christine Kehoe
termed out this year, Assemblyman Marty Block is well placed to run in this
district and win a seat in the Upper House.
But, pundits and consultants see a problem with
the Senate district maps in other parts of the state. And changes to one or two maps, could have a
trickle down effect to other district lines.
The State Senate map is viewed as the one plan most likely to be
litigated in court. So look for updates!
In the interim, the congressional lines are very
similar to what has been previously reported, with Congresswoman Susan Davis
running in a district that shifts inland, but should be a comfortable fit with
her political views and achievements.
And Congressman Filner will be vacating his seat as he is running full
speed ahead to become the next Mayor of San Diego.
Locally, the City of San Diego’s Redistricting
Commission has released preferred maps including the new 9th
district. As previously noted, Councilmember
Marti Emerald has filed papers to run for re-election to the City Council. But after the passing of her husband Mike Klarfeld, the councilmember
has placed her home on the market. She
had been thinking of moving into the College area. As this would be in the new 9th
City Council District, it’s an open seat that she can easily slide into. But the seat has been drawn to maximize
Latino voter strength in conformance with the Federal Voting Rights Act. There could be a rub with the Latino
community if she seeks re-election in this district.
If
Emerald vacates the 7th City Council District, Del Cerro resident
Mathew Kostrinsky has been quietly and deferentially putting the political
pieces together to run. He has roots in
both the business community with the SD Regional Chamber of Commerce and with
labor. Kostrinsky also has strong
political experience as a former local staffer to Senator Dianne
Feinstein. And a long standing involvement
with the Jewish community through the Jewish Family Service board and the local
chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
But until Councilmember Emerald more clearly signals her intention,
Kostrinsky will have to continue to work in the background and wait. By then, we should also know the fate of the
39th Senate District. So more
on map making to come!
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Rotto is a freelance writer based in San Diego. He may be contacted at gary.rotto@sdjewishworld.com