Proposal undoes AAPI activism
San Francisco is a city renowned for its cultural and racial diversity. But if the draft redistricting maps for the state Legislature under consideration are approved, the city’s Assembly seats could become far less representative of that diversity — and undo decades of political organizing, especially within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Every 10 years, after the U.S. census, legislative district lines across the country are redrawn to reflect the changes in population. New maps are supposed to ensure equitable representation by keeping the population in each district roughly even. But maintaining similar population sizes across districts isn’t the only consideration. As lines are redrawn, mapmakers also need to keep people with common cultures, interests and languages together, thereby protecting their ability to have a voice in public affairs. To prevent these minority groups from being separated, some states, including California, have used “communities of interest” as a redistricting factor.
Defined by the California Supreme Court as a “contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests,” the court mandates that “the geographic integrity of any ... local community of interest shall be respected in a manner that minimizes their division to the extent possible.” The proposed changes to the boundaries of Assembly Districts 17 and 19 do not meet this criterion.
If approved, the proposed map will split many communities of interest. Asian American and Pacific Islanders living in Chinatown would be split from the growing population of those communities in Visitacion Valley and the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods. The LGBTQ community living in the Castro would be split from the growing LGBTQ community in Bernal Heights. The Latinx community in Mission District would be split from the Latinx community in the Outer Mission. The African American community in the Fillmore would be split from the African American community in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point. The splitting of these minority communities would dilute their ability to have a say in who represents them.
For the AAPI community, which according to the 2020 U.S. census, has had significant population growth over the past decade, the proposed redistricting of Assembly District 17 on the east side of the city is particularly worrisome. Not only would it break apart the AAPI community in the city, but it would lower that population in that district from 34% to 30%. Moreover, the proposed boundaries for Assembly District 17 would make it a more white and conservative district. By incorporating the city’s most affluent and majority white neighborhoods, including Sea Cliff, Pacific Heights and St. Francis Wood, with some of the city’s most iconic and historically minority-majority enclaves, including Chinatown, the Castro, the Mission and the Fillmore, the percentage of white voters in the proposed Assembly District 17 would increase from 41% to 56%. This outcome would also not reflect population trends for the city.
District boundaries have remained relatively constant for 30 years. In that time, the AAPI community has worked hard to organize and mobilize to ensure representation. As a result, for the past 20 years, San Francisco has been represented by at least one member of the AAPI community in the Assembly. And, until David Chiu’s recent appointment as city attorney, never before have two AAPI Assembly members concurrently represented San Francisco. The proposed changes threaten to obstruct these historical voting patterns that have helped increase AAPI participation in state government and stifle decades of political activism and engagement within the community. At a time when, according to the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate, 1 in 5 Asian American and Pacific Islanders have reported experiencing a hate incident in the United States in the last 12 months, AAPI representation in the Assembly is needed more than ever.
The AAPI community and San Francisco have greatly benefited from the leadership of both Assembly Member Phil Ting and former Assembly Member David Chiu. They secured a historic $165.5 million to fight hate incidents against Asian Americans. They were also able to secure $26.5 million in state funding to help establish a new Edge on the Square arts and media center in Chinatown. Additionally, during their terms in office, they obtained state funding for local nonprofits, affordable housing and immigrant services that have benefited the AAPI community and more broadly low-income and immigrant populations across the city.
Opponents of the redistricting proposal have submitted an alternative map that significantly preserves the current district boundaries with only minimal adjustments. A proposal from our San Francisco-based nonprofit, Chinese American Voters Education Committee, promises to protect local communities of interests and recognize the unique qualities of San Francisco’s neighborhoods.
The nonpartisan body responsible for drawing the proposed redistricting maps, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, is required to create boundaries that are free of special interests, politics and political influence. But the commission has not adequately heard from San Francisco residents. The proposed redistricting maps illustrate that. The commission must make an effort to hear from local residents and ensure that the redistricting of our districts preserves “communities of interest” in San Francisco. The current district boundary lines have successfully served the AAPI population, the African American population, the Latinx population and the LGBTQ population. Our city and the communities that call it home deserve a map that is fair, equitable and respects as closely as possible the current district boundary lines.