• California Citizens Redistricting Commission,  Gabino Aguirre

    Graphic of the Day: Dr. Gabino Aguirre’s Redistricting Conflicts of Interest

    Go over to Cal Watchdog and read John Hrabe’s excellent pieces about Dr. Gabino Aguirre, the Chairman of the California Citizen’s Redistricting Commission.

    Gabino Aguirre’s Secret Political Past

    The California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the 14-member independent panel of average citizens, was created to end partisan gerrymandering and draw political boundaries in an open process,  without the influence of special interests.

    An investigation by CalWatchDog.com reveals that at least one commissioner, Dr. Gabino T. Aguirre, has made multiple political campaign contributions to Democratic candidates — contributions that were previously undisclosed to the Commission; a long history of political activism in support of Latino causes; and an extensive web of connections to a special interest group that has submitted its own redistricting proposals to the commission.

    Did Gabino Aguirre Flout Code of Conduct?

    New evidence obtained by CalWatchDog.com raises new questions about whether Dr. Gabino Aguirre, a member of California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, violated the commission’s code of conduct and possibly state law by failing to disclose his association with a redistricting special interest group. The Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a politically active community-based organization, has submitted its own redistricting proposals to the commission and mobilized its staff members and volunteers to testify before the commission.

    The Commission’s Code of Conduct, which is “considered binding on any person serving the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in any capacity,” sets forth restrictions on the behavior of commissioners. Among the code of conduct’s mandates, commissioners shall:

    * “Speak the truth with no intent to deceive or mislead by technicalities or omissions”;

    * “Disclose actual or perceived conflicts of interest to the Commission”;

    * “Disclose information that belongs in the public domain freely and completely”

    That second requirement, the disclosure of a perceived conflict of interest, appears to be a much higher standard of disclosure than the state regulations, which CalWatchDog.com initially cited in its first investigative report on July 15. State law requires all redistricting commissioners to complete a supplemental application, in which applicants must: “Describe the professional, social, political, volunteer, and community activities in which you have engaged that you believe are relevant to serving as a commissioner, as discussed in Regulation 60847.”

    Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the commission, failed to respond to two emails and a phone call requesting clarification about the policy.

    My feeling is that the California Citizen’s Redistricting Commission is already a failure and they have not submitted final maps yet.

    Let the California Supreme Court do the redistricting and mothball this commission and law.