The California Redistricting Committee released its preliminary final draft maps for state Assembly, Senate and Board of Equalization districts, as well as federal congressional districts.
As opposed to the May drafts, this version does incorporate a surprise. Idyllwild is placed in an assembly district that is aligned north to south, rather that to the east or west of the mountain.
The proposed district excludes Hemet and the desert cities, but goes south to the Mexican border. Thus, Idyllwild is combined with Borrego Springs, Julian, Ramona and Alpine in a rural mountain and desert district. This would constitute a partial merger of Assembly districts 64 and 71. The proposed district would have significant Republican registration of 45 percent compared to 30 percent registered Democrats.
The state Senate and congressional districts more closely conform to existing district boundaries.
The Senate district starts at the Colorado River and Blythe and goes west to the mountains, drops south of Hemet and loops northeast to incorporate Temecula, Murrieta and Lake Elsinore. This jurisdiction also has a Republican registration advantage although the Democratic registration is 34 percent.
The congressional district overlaps the Senate district from the Colorado River to the San Bernardino National Forest, but includes Banning, San Jacinto and Hemet rather than the western Riverside communities of Temecula and Murrieta.
Party registration in the congressional district remains about the same as the current 45th District: Republicans 42 percent and Democrats 39 percent.
The Board of Equalization District includes Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties and some of Orange County.
