Help shape Kern's political landscape, support Census 2010 efforts

Redistricting Forum: Imagine you being asked to determine the political footprint of Kern County and beyond. The opportunity has arrived.

Applications are now being accepted for the new 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of redrawing the boundaries of political districts throughout the state. This is huge.

Previously, the task was handled by the state Legislature — a process that led to partisan “safe” seats held for each party.

Huh? Just imagine allowing your 10-year-old to create his three-course meals, chore list and sleep schedule for the weekend. I mean, you’d hope he’d make the right, healthy decision but….

Thanks to passage of Prop. 11, the Voters FIRST Act, in 2008, this responsibility now rests in the hands of a citizens commission — 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 independents — and, together, they will redefine the district boundaries for the state Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization.

The deadline to apply is looming — Feb. 12 — and right now, there’s a callout for more women and people of color to apply. Most who have applied are older white men and counties, such as Los Angeles and Sacramento, lead in the number of applicants. Can’t blame them for wanting to participate but we need to be represented.

As a result, advocacy groups like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund are holding community forums across California to spread the word and encourage minorities to apply, Nancy Ramirez, MALDEF’s western regional counsel, tells me.

She noted that commission guidelines call for a group that is representative of the state’s diversity, but the most underrepresented groups in applicant pool are Latinos, blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders.

And as of mid-January, only one Latino from Kern County has passed the first phase of the application process, Ramirez tells me.

Still thinking about how you can make difference?

MALDEF, in partnership with MAS Magazine, will hold free redistricting forum on Monday, Feb. 1, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the University of California, Merced — Bakersfield Center, 2000 K St., Lakes Room.  Panelists include Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president & general counsel, and a representative of the California State Auditor’s office — the agency administering the application process.

Qualified applicants must have voted in at least two of the past three general elections, registered with the same party (or none) for the last five years, and not have donated $2,000 or more to a campaign. Elected officials, lobbyists and legislative staff are ineligible, sorry.

2010 Census: When California Highway Patrol Capt. Brian Smith of Bakersfield submits his department’s staffing budget to the state, he always makes sure he attaches Census data. He knows he will have to compete with the needs of other law enforcement agencies across the state so having the latest population data can justify the local CHP patrol staffing level needs.

“In Kern County, we want what is ours,” Smith said recently at the opening of the Bakersfield Census office.  

Over the next few months, Census 2010 questionnaires will be sent to your homes, asking for private but critical, information. Census takers will follow-up on homes that did not return a questionnaire. Most of us will be diligent about returning those forms, but one of the biggest challenges for census takers will be reaching poor families distrustful of unfamiliar faces, undocumented immigrants, migrant workers, and the elderly.

Kern County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shelly Castaneda encouraged census takers to carry their identification cards at all times and be gentle and patient with elderly residents, who have been preyed upon by scam artists.

“I have worked patrol in several areas of Kern County, and I have seen with my own eyes the plight of the underserved,” Castaneda said.

Every person, documented or not, must be counted in Kern. Federal dollars are at stake. Every year, the federal government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on the census data, said Reyna Olaguez, Bakersfield Census office partnership specialist. The new data will be used to figure out locations for schools, hospitals, housing developments… the list goes on.

And just as significant, the 2010 census data is used to outline the congressional, state and local legislative boundaries for our communities.

Do what you can to support this effort.

New president: My congrats to H. A. Sala who will be installed as the new 2010 president of the Kern County Bar Association. The installation will take place 6 p.m. Thursday at the Bakersfield Country Club. Sala is a well-respected attorney and one of the most humble, genuine persons I know. Best of luck, Beto.