Approved Redistricting Maps Finalize Union City’s Split from Tri-Cities in Two Districts

It’s final. Union City is breaking away from Fremont and Newark in its Assembly and Congressional districts, according to final maps approved this week.

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted on Monday to approve the final maps for Assembly, Senate, Congressional and Board of Equalization districts. View the maps that will be used for voting in the next decade here.

Union City itself remains intact in all of its districts, though it will no longer be represented by the same leaders as its Tri-Cities counterparts in two districts.

Currently in the 13th Congressional District, Union City will shift east to become a part of the newly reconfigured 15th district.

For the next decade, Union City voters will share a Congressional representative with Hayward, Castro Valley, Dublin Pleasanton, Livermore, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Sunol and portions of Fremont and San Ramon.

The new formation would be “a very strong Southern Alameda County seat,” Union City Mayor Mark Green told Union City Patch in a past interview.

District 13 incumbent Congressman Pete Stark (D-Fremont) has announced he will run for the 15th District in the 2012 elections.

Union City’s Assembly district also shifts.

The 20th Assembly District moves north, dropping Newark entirely along with most of Fremont. It will now include Union City, Hayward, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland and a portion of Fremont.

The redrawn district will now encompass the area currently held by the 18th Assembly District, represented by Mary Hayashi (D-Hayashi), who will be termed out in 2012.

Current 20th Assembly District representative Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) expressed dismay when the maps were still in draft phases, saying he had hoped the Tri-Cities would remain together. However, Green pointed out that Union City would still be aligned with the portion of Fremont the city shares its border with, and that though it has ties to the Tri-Ctiies, joining a district with Hayward makes sense, too.

Union City currently shares more of its border with Hayward than with any other town. The New Haven Unified School District serves parts of Hayward as well, and both cities are represented in the same district — District 2 — on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, he said.

Making bids for the new Assembly seat are Hayward Councilman Bill Quirk and Hayward doctor Jennifer Ong. Green, whose term expires in 2012, has also expressed interest in representing the district.

The littlest change for Union City comes in its Senate representation.

Senate District 10 remains mostly the same and is the only district in which the Tri-Cities remain whole. Sen. Majority Leader Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) currently represents the 10th District. She terms out in 2014.

Approved by voters in November 2008, Proposition 11 gave the Commission the authority to draw the new district lines on the electoral maps for the Assembly, State Senate and Board of Equalization. In November 2010, voters voted to have the Commission draw the congressional lines, too.

"For far too long Californians have been frustrated by a Legislature that drew districts that primarily supported the re-election of incumbent legislators," Commissioner Vince Barabba said in reference to gerrymandering and the need for the new process, which he called "transparent and fair.

"The voters showed they wanted fundamental government reform by creating the Citizens Redistricting Commission charged with the responsibility to create districts that provided candidates of all political persuasion a fair chance to be elected," he said.  

The Commission submitted final redistricting maps Monday to the Secretary of State for certification. The public now has 45 days to file any complaints, which will be reviewed by the California Supreme Court, according to spokesman Rob Wilcox.

The commission approved Board of Equalization, State Assembly, State Senate and congressional maps by votes of 13-1, 13-1, 13-1 and 12-2, respectively, Wilcox added.

The maps will take effect in time for the June 2012 primary, unless the courts issue an order precluding their use, Wilcox noted.

In the 65-page report, the Commission detailed its methodology, which included their attempt to fold Assembly districts into one-Senate districts and keep communities with shared interests together.

The commissioners, 14 citizens chosen from an applicant pool of more than 36,000, cannot hold public office for the next 10 years, or work in the Legislature or be a lobbyist for five years after the maps have been certified.

In total, 34 public meetings in 32 locations around the state took place, and more than 2,700 people participated in person. The commission received 20,000 written comments.

Patch staff contributed to this article.