Lawsuit filed over SF redistricting process
A lawsuit has been filed against the panel redrawing the local electoral map for San Francisco's 11 supervisorial districts and the city's director of elections.
It is seeking to have the San Francisco Superior Court step in and take over the process.A legal challenge had been expected after the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force missed its deadline as mandated by the city charter to have a new map approved by April 15.
After rejecting by a 5-4 vote last Wednesday a map widely panned by Black, Latino, and LGBTQ advocates, the task force is expected to reconvene at noon Thursday, April 21, to complete its line drawing work.But Tuesday three San Francisco residents calling themselves "good governance activists" filed a lawsuit with the local court asking it to hold a hearing next week and to adopt a final supervisorial district map by May 2 that can be used for the November races for even-numbered seats.They are alleging that "partisan political interests" intervened in what is supposed to be a process overseen by an independent commission.
They also cite the state's Fair And Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities And Political Subdivisions (FAIR MAPS) Act as requiring the court to step in and oversee the redistricting process if a petition for it to do so is filed when a local body tasked with redrawing political districts misses its deadline to do so."This is an attack on the process by extreme partisans to protect their entrenched interests," stated Todd David, a plaintiff in the suit and pro-housing activist. "They are worried that a fair redistricting will ultimately result in a shift away from the status quo.
