The California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) draws the boundaries of the state's State Senate, State Assembly, and Board of Equalization districts. The commission is also responsible for drawing the boundaries for California's congressional districts, but the congressional districts drawn in 2021 were overridden in 2025 by California's voters with the passage of Proposition 50 and replaced by districts drawn by the California State Legislature. The commission retains the authority to draw the state's U.S. House districts following a decennial census, which it will exercise after the 2030 United States census.
The commission first met in 2010 and has fourteen members: five commissioners each from the first and second largest political parties in the state by voter registration, and four commissioners who are not registered with either of those two parties. Although the majority of the commission's work takes place in the year after the decennial census, all fourteen members serve for an entire decade, and all are replaced just prior to the start of the next decennial redistricting cycle.
The commissioner selection process is conducted by the California State Auditor and starts with open applications. While the selection process includes some consideration of geographic representation across the state, commissioners do not officially represent regions; all commissioners represent the whole state. As an independent, citizen commission, commissioners are prohibited from an extensive list of political positions and activities for ten years before applying and five to ten years after selection.
There is a set timeline during years ending in “9,” “0,” and “1” for the selection of new commissioners, issuance of draft maps, certification of final maps, and consideration of any challenges to final maps. The CCRC has now successfully redistricted California in both cycles since its creation (2010 and 2020). Any major change to the CCRC's current role, authority, structure, system, or timeline requires an amendment to Article XXI of the California constitution.
History
In the 1980 and 1990 cycles, redistricting by the California state legislature was highly contentious and tortuous. In the 2000 cycle, an informal agreement among legislative leaders produced the so-called “Incumbent Protection Plan.” Redistricting reform ballot propositions in 1982, 1984, 1990, and 2005, all involving judges or retired judges, had all failed to pass. Inspired by Arizona's 2000 creation of the nation's first citizen-led, independent state redistricting commission with binding authority, Kathay Feng of California Common Cause, with the vocal support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, helped lead the effort to draft and pass 2008's Proposition 11, the Voters First Act, creating the current CCRC for the state's legislative and Board of Equalization districts. In 2010, physicist and political reformer Charles Munger Jr. helped lead the successful campaign for Proposition 20, the Voters First Act for Congress, adding congressional districts to the CCRC's responsibilities. In 2012, Senate Bill 1096 adjusted various deadlines, resulting in the current CCRC timeline.
The 2010 CCRC was notable for pioneering independent, citizen redistricting in such a populous, demographically complex, and geographically diverse state. In a span of seven months, the commission built its entire administrative and technical structure and staff from scratch, conducted a full statewide public input program, proceeded with a fully public mapping program, and certified its maps on its August 15, 2011, deadline. Those maps prevailed through four lawsuits and one voter referendum, and remained in place for the full decade following.
The 2020 CCRC built on its predecessor's success but faced two new, major challenges. In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 pandemic travel and meeting restrictions and limitations began during the interview phase of the commissioner selection process and continued throughout the staff-recruitment, outreach, and mapping phases. The commission's work proceeded with mostly remote and hybrid meetings, based on emergency modifications to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. Then, the unprecedented delays and uncertainties surrounding the 2020 U.S. Census, and eventual 134-day delay to the Census data release required the California Supreme Court to grant a one-time extension to the CCRC's mapping deadlines. This resulted in the heaviest mapping work falling squarely during the 2021 holiday season. Nevertheless, the final maps were certified on December 26, 2021, a day before the (extended) deadline. Those maps received no legal challenges (saving the state over $5 million that had been budgeted for the maps' legal defense) and were drawn and approved to remain in place until the 2030 redistricting cycle.
Proposition 50 (2025) In a special election on November 4, 2025, California voters approved Proposition 50. The proposition, which amended the state's constitution, replaced the 2020 CCRC's congressional districts map with a new districts map proposed by the California State Legislature (the maps for the State Legislature and Board of Equalization were not impacted by Proposition 50). The replacement districts will be valid through the 2030 Congressional elections. The CCRC system will resume with the 2030 redistricting cycle and the 2030 CCRC's new maps will apply to elections starting in 2032.
While the commission did not take a position on Proposition 50, three former commissioners and two sitting commissioners took public positions on the proposition. Two Democratic members of the 2010 commission (Cynthia Dai and Jeanne Raya) and one Republican member of that commission (Jodie Filkins Webber) publicly drafted arguments against Proposition 50 which were included in the Voter Guide sent to all voter households. Members of the 2020 commission who had publicly expressed an opinion on the proposition were split. Democrat Sara Sadhwani publicly co-drafted arguments in favor of the proposition (which were published in the same voter guide as the arguments against the proposition drafted by the retired commissioners), whereas Democrat Patricia Sinay came out against the proposition.Voter Information Guide published by the California Secretary of State
Key facts from the 2010 and 2020 redistricting cycles 2010 Cycle 2020 Cycle Number of districts: U.S. Congressional, State Senate, Assembly, BOE; total 53, 40, 80, 4; 177 52, 40, 80, 4; 176 Format for meetings All in-person Mostly hybrid or virtual Census data delivery (P.L. 94–171) Nominal, Mar. 8, 2011 Delayed, 2-stages, Aug. 12 and Sep. 16, 2021 Timeline Within statutory deadlines, 271 days from random draw of first eight commissioners to approval of final maps Within one-time extension, 543 days from random draw of first eight commissioners to approval of final maps Pre-draft maps outreach & education efforts 155 commissioner public appearances 182 “Redistricting Basics” presentations + appearances Public input: Communities of Interest (COI) 34 in-person meetings through mapping phase; Apr. 9, 2011, start 35 pre-mapping videoconference meetings for COI input; Jun. 10, 2021, start Public input: Line drawing (included in above 34 meetings) 13 videoconference line drawing (12 multi-day) and 3 map public input mtgs Public input items: live / written & other / total c. 2,700 (in person) / c. 22,000 / c. 24,700 3,897 (call-in & Zoom) / 31,353 / 35,250 Draft maps 1 (set of 4) 1 (set of 4) Population deviation: legislative, BOE +/- 1% +/- 5% Population deviation: congressional +/- 1 person +/- 1 person Draft maps vote (all 4 plans) 14-0 (4 separate, identical votes) 14-0 (single vote for all 4 plans) Final maps vote: legislative, BOE 13-1 (3 separate, identical votes) 14-0 (single vote for all 4 plans) Final maps vote: congressional 12–2 (included in above 14–0 vote) Voting Rights Act (VRA) Section 5 Preclearance Jan. 17, 2012 (Dept. of Justice) (Not required) Executive Director Dan Claypool Dan Claypool (to 2/17/21) Alvaro Hernandez Chief Counsel Kirk Miller Kary Marshall (to 2/26/21) Anthony Pane Videographer Video SSC (Kristian Manoff) Video SSC (Kristian Manoff) Line drawer Q2 (Karin Mac Donald) Haystaq DNA (Andrew Dreschler) + Q2 (Karin Mac Donald) Outside Voting Rights Act (VRA) counsel Gibson Dunn Crutcher Strumwasser Woocher + David Becker Racially Polarized Voting (RPV) analyst Matt Barreto Megan Gall (Blockwell Consulting) Outside litigation counsel Gibson Dunn Crutcher; Morrison Foerster Strumwasser Woocher Pre-maps lawsuits 0 1, dismissed (Moreno v. CRC) Post-maps lawsuits 4, none prevailing (Vandermost v. Bowen, Radanovich v. Bowen, Radanovich v. Bowen II, Connerly v. California) 0 Post-maps referendum 1, Prop. 40 (Nov. 2012), passed 0 Initial commissioner applications > 30,000 20,724 Commissioner replacements 1 (Ancheta for Kuo, Jan. 2011) 1 (Blando for Andersen, Mar. 2025) CCRC office 910 P St., Suite 154A, Sacramento (Bonderson Building) 921 Capitol Mall, Suite 260, Sacramento (Dept. of Rehabilitation) CCRC staff (peak) 8 (plus student interns) 27 (plus student interns) Funding State, Irvine Foundation State Overall expenditures through Jun. 2012 and Jun. 2022, including selection process $10.5M state + $3.3M private outreach grants; inflation adj. total to 2021: $17.3M $17.4M
Commissioner selection process The commissioner selection process is designed to be open, fair, and impartial, and to select commissioners with demonstrated analytical ability, impartiality, and appreciation for California's diversity. Any registered California voter who has not changed party affiliation for the past five years before applying and who has voted in at least two of the prior three general elections may apply. The only role any elected official has in the selection process is the legislative leaders' right to strike a limited number of semifinalist applicants.
The selection process is conducted by the California State Auditor (CSA). The CSA conducts a statewide outreach and recruitment campaign to ensure as broad a pool of applicants as possible. Meanwhile, the CSA establishes an Applicant Review Panel (ARP) with three qualified senior auditors licensed by the California Board of Accountancy (Gov. Code, § 8252, subd. (b).) The ARP consists of one member each from the two largest parties in the state, and one member not affiliated with either of those two parties, each selected randomly from a sub-pool of qualified senior auditors. The ARP's meetings, applicant interviews, and deliberations are fully public.
The ARP conducts a preliminary screening against a detailed set of conflict-of-interest rules. Applicants and their immediate family members cannot be elected or appointed officials or political candidates for federal or state offices; staff members of such officials or candidates; officers, employees or paid consultants of a political party or members of a party central committee; registered lobbyists; paid congressional, legislative, or BOE staff; staff, consultants, or under contract with various state elected officials; or contributors of $2,000 or more (inflation-adjusted) to a congressional, state, or local political candidate, all currently or in the previous ten years before applying. (Once selected, commissioners must also remain qualified under the same rules, except that five years after selection they may hold appointive public office; serve on the staff or be a paid consultant the state Legislature, Congress, BOE, or to any individual legislator; or register as a lobbyist.) ARP panelist are subject to the same conflict-of-interest rules.