Redistricting Could Cost San Francisco A Seat In State Senate
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - San Francisco would lose one of its two seats in the state Senate under a draft proposal by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to be formally unveiled on Friday.
The boundary of the district now represented by Sen. Mark Leno would be moved entirely into the North Bay and the seat occupied by Sen. Leland Yee would encompass all of San Francisco.
"It's really important that San Francisco has two senators because two votes are clearly better than one," said Yee, now a mayoral candidate in the city.
Yee said he hopes the commission can be convinced to reconsider.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
The new district lines would reshape Northern California's influence in the legislature, said David Latterman, who teaches public policy at the University of San Francisco.
"We've become the strongest advocate for Northern California, but now we lose some of that" if the plan is adopted, Latterman said.
Los Angeles by contrast would still have more than a dozen senators in the legislature.
Beyond the regional implications, the San Francisco mayor's race could become even more crowded if the 14-member redistricting commission's proposal is not modified.
Sen. Leno could revisit his decision to stay out of the San Francisco mayor's race, a contest that including Yee already has six candidates.
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