Central Coast California

New districts could mean big political shakeup for Central Coast

A new set of maps approved today could mean a big shake-up in who represents the Central Coast, on the state and congressional levels.

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted today on the new district maps; they cover Congress, the state Legislature and the state Board of Equalization.

"It's an improvement in the sense that we now have citizens choosing their legislators rather than legislators basically choosing their constituents," said Mike Latner, a Cal Poly assistant professor of political science who just published a paper on the new districts.

The new boundaries appear to favor Democrats in the upcoming election, but that's not necessarily the case on the Central Coast; they make Democratic Congresswoman Lois Capps' district one of the toughest battles in the country next year.

Capps represents the 23rd District; right now, that's a narrow ribbon that runs right along the coastline from Oxnard to a little past Cambria.

The district has been criticized for being gerry-mandered, which means it was drawn in a way that benefited a political party--namely, the Democratic Party.

"The old district was so gerrymandered," said former Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado. "It was so cut up. It was the most cut-up district in the whole country--not even California or the Central Coast, in the whole country."

The new boundaries are good news for Maldonado; the 23rd District will go significantly more inland and include all of San Luis Obispo County and most, if not all, of Santa Barbara County.

That picks up a lot more agricultural communities that tend to vote more conservatively than Capps' current district, which gets a lot of liberal support from Santa Barbara.

"Obviously, I think the district's more competitive, and that's the whole basis of the Citizens Commission," Maldonado said. "Over the years, we've had districts in the whole state where only one district was competitive. Now, we're going to have many districts competitive, and I think that's good."

Maldonado, a Republican, has already announced plans to run for Congress in Capps' seat, but Capps says she's ready to fight a tough campaign.

"I'd have to be honest and say there are a lot of new voters that I'll have to find the time to get in touch with," Capps said in an interview from Washington, D.C. "And that's a challenge. I don't look at it as a concern as much as an opportunity. It's exciting."

The changes will influence all levels of government--and all voters.

Central Coast Craftmakers, call for California Central Coast ...

Work must have been completed within the last three years and may not have been shown previously at SLOMA. Works may not exceed 8 feet in height or weigh more than 60 lbs per transportable part.

Awards: A minimum of $1000, cash awards will be awarded at the discretion of the juror with the additional possibility of a purchase award for the SLOMA Permanent Collection.

Entry fees: Each artist may submit up to three (3) pieces for a non-refundable fee of $30 (CCC members $20). A set will be considered as one piece.

Juror: This year’s juror is Hallie Katz owner of Human Arts, a gallery of contemporary crafts, jewelry and furniture located in Ojai, CA. She is a goldsmith. With her husband Stan they have been owner/operators of fine craft galleries for over thirty years. Each year they attend some of the national juried craft wholesale trade events to scout for new talent. Her interest and knowledge of craft media is broad based.

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