San Jose Mayor Statement on California Redistricting Proposal that Would Weaken Representation in Congress for America’s 10th Largest City
Redistricting Commission to vote on map that would split the Bay Area’s largest city into 4 districts
SAN JOSÉ, CA — The California Citizens Redistricting Commission will vote on a plan that was announced late Friday that would split San Jose into four congressional districts, making San Jose the only major city in California to not have at least one Member of Congress representing the majority of its over one million residents. Mayor Sam Liccardo commented at the meeting on December 13, 2021, and released the following public comment to the Commission today:
“Good evening, Commissioners. On behalf of our 1 million residents, I thank you all for taking so seriously our concerns about having our city split into four districts, and for your thoughtful deliberation in recent days.
We appreciate that you’re juggling complex and often conflicting considerations of fairness, equity, and legal requirements as you draw the congressional map. I support your creation of proposed Latino and Asian-American opportunity districts in whatever fashion is required by the Voting Rights Act, and my advocacy does not compel an alteration of either of the two districts that you have created for that purpose. I do not seek to split either of those two districts.
However, the remaining two districts—encompassing San Jose’s west, south, and southeast–can and should form the basis for a San Jose-majority district, one that provides our city with a representative who speaks for San José. Nearly 600,000 San Joseans in this area would know that they will have a representative in Washington who prioritizes the interests of America’s 10th largest city, rather than subordinating our concerns to those of many more affluent, less diverse suburban communities.
We share the views of our friends in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties that our coastal communities deserve a representative with keen attention to the many complex environmental and economic issues at the edge of the Pacific. Silicon Valley’s urban center has very unique needs with our demographically diverse community, technologically focused economy, and challenging growth. Congress works best when its members can speak clearly for all of our communities.
Thank you once again for considering my thoughts.”
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About the City of San José
With more than one million residents, San José comprises the 10th largest city in the United States, and one of its most diverse cities. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world’s greatest concentration of technology talent and development.
