San Jose City Council,

I am a resident of San Jose. I believe that voters should choose their politicians, politicians should not choose their voters. I support the following changes, to ensure San Jose redistricting is as fair, honest, and independent as possible:

• Eliminate conflicts of interest: Prohibit the appointment of an elected official's family members, employees, current or past campaign staffers and consultants; current and past candidates; registered city lobbyists; and major campaign donors ($500+).
• Hold an open application: Let regular people apply to serve on the commission; require officials to appoint someone from the pool of people who apply from their district.
• Ensure Diversity and Public Input: Require officials to make their appointments "provisional" and public for two weeks, so the whole pool and its diversity can be considered and the public can comment on the proposed commissioners.
• Ban Closed Door, Backroom Communications: Ensure independence by banning commissioners from having behind-the-scenes communications about redistricting with the City’s power brokers.

The State of California draws the Congressional, State Senate, and State Assembly districts through this process. San Jose City Council must establish the best practice for drawing the new district lines too!

Sincerely,
Concerned Residents