Who is manipulating the process?

Projection — falsely claiming that others are doing exactly what they themselves are actually doing — is a defining feature of modern conservatives.

There have been several letters lately promoting the lie that Supervisor Lucero is attempting to manipulate the redistricting process to her own electoral advantage. Here’s the truth of the matter:

The supervisors hired a respected firm, Redistricting Partners, to manage the process of redistricting. It’s a widely used company that knows the process and legal requirements well. They are being well paid with our taxpayer dollars. The representatives of the firm have made it very clear that they don’t even have information on the party makeup of the county or the residence of any supervisor or candidate. It’s illegal to consider those things. They have produced a series of suggested maps that make logical sense, protect communities of interest and conform to the law. Supervisor Lucero and Supervisor Ritter have supported those maps The three-man board majority have rejected all those maps, saying simply “I don’t like them.”

Rather than accepting the professionally produced maps we’ve all paid good money for, they have substituted, and apparently intend to adopt, a bizarre gerrymander that we now know was drawn up by a Republican political operative. The nonpartisan professionals hired by the board say that this map “ignores nearly all the community of interest testimony” and “splits Chico into four districts, splitting neighborhoods that ought to be kept together.” You can judge who is manipulating the process.

— David Welch, Chico