Coming Sunday

Citizens panel will redraw the lines for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

Essential Politics — a snapshot of what’s happening in Sacramento, on state campaigns and in the California political universe — will debut.

SACRAMENTO — Despite opposition from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday approved a bill that will create a citizens redistricting commission to redraw the panel’s district lines after the next U.S. Census.

State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) said his measure would result in a 14member, independent, bipartisan group drawing new district maps that are fair and more representative of the county’s diversity.

“With this new law, we will ensure that the people of Los Angeles County have a greater representative voice in their county’s political process,” Lara said in a statement.

Brown took the action despite a veto request sent to him this month by Hilda L. Solis, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Board, on behalf of the panel.

“This measure is unnecessary because Los Angeles County already has a redistricting process in place that provides fair and effective representation on the Board of Supervisors to all County residents,” Solis wrote. “The argument that SB 958 is needed has no basis because Los Angeles County is in full compliance with all federal and state redistricting Requirements.”

The county’s plan allowed the board to appoint a redistricting committee that could recommend district maps. The new law allows the commission, whose members will be drawn in a process excluding the board, to adopt a redistricting plan without board action.

The members of the commission would be randomly selected in 2020 by the county Auditor-Controller from a pool of applicants whose eligibility will be determined by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ County Clerk.

The measure also was opposed by Alan Clayton, a redistricting consultant who has advised politicians in the past.

He said that by appointing members to the commission based on voter registration in the county, it would give Democrats up to 10 of the seats, allowing them to create a partisan redistricting plan,

“Once you have a significant lead in voter registration over others, you can control redistricting,” Clayton said.

Brown declined to comment on why he signed the bill.