(a) As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Board” means the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Diego.

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(2)  “Clerk of the Board of Supervisors” means the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Diego.

(3) “Commission” means the Independent Redistricting Commission established by subdivision (b).

(4) “Immediate family member” means a spouse, child, in-law, parent, or sibling.

(b) (1) There is, in the County of San Diego, an Independent Redistricting Commission. The commission shall be created no later than December 31, 2020, and in each year ending in the number zero thereafter. The selection process is designed to produce a commission that is independent from the influence of the board and reasonably representative of the county’s diversity.

(2) In the year following the year in which the decennial federal census is taken, the commission shall adjust the boundary lines of the supervisorial districts of the board in accordance with this chapter.

(c) The commission shall be comprised of 14 members. The political party preferences of the commission members, as shown on the members’ most recent affidavits of registration, shall be as proportional as possible to the total number of voters who are registered with each political party in the County of San Diego or who decline to state or do not indicate a party preference, as determined by registration at the most recent statewide election. However, the political party preferences of the commission members are not required to be exactly the same as the proportion of political party preferences among the registered voters of the county. At least one commission member shall reside in each of the five existing supervisorial districts of the board. Commissioners shall each meet the following qualifications:

(1) Be a resident of the County of San Diego.

(2) Be a voter who has been continuously registered in the County of San Diego with the same political party preference or with no political party preference and who has not changed the voter’s political party preference for five or more years immediately preceding the date of the voter’s appointment to the commission.

(3) Have voted in at least one of the last three statewide elections immediately preceding the voter’s application to be a member of the commission.

(4) Within the 10 years immediately preceding the date of application to the commission, neither the applicant, nor an immediate family member of the applicant, has done any of the following:

(A) Been appointed to, elected to, or have been a candidate for office at the local, state, or federal level representing the County of San Diego, including as a member of the board.

(B) Served as an employee of, or paid consultant for, an elected representative at the local, state, or federal level representing the County of San Diego.

(C) Served as an employee of, or paid consultant for, a candidate for office at the local, state, or federal level representing the County of San Diego.

(D) Served as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a political party or as an appointed member of a political party central committee.

(E) Been a registered federal, state, or local lobbyist.

(5) Possess experience that demonstrates analytical skills relevant to the redistricting process and voting rights, and possess an ability to comprehend and apply the applicable state and federal legal requirements.

(6) Possess experience that demonstrates an ability to be impartial.

(7) Possess experience that demonstrates an appreciation for the diverse demographics and geography of the County of San Diego.

(d) An interested person meeting the qualifications specified in subdivision (c) may submit an application to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to be considered for membership on the commission. The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall review the applications and eliminate applicants who do not meet the specified qualifications.

(e) (1) From the pool of qualified applicants, the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall select 60 of the most qualified applicants, taking into account the requirements described in subdivision (c). The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall make public the names of the 60 most qualified applicants for at least 30 days. The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall not communicate with a member of the board, or an agent for a member of the board, about any matter related to the nomination process or applicants before the publication of the list of the 60 most qualified applicants.

(2) During the period described in paragraph (1), the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors may eliminate any of the previously selected applicants if the clerk becomes aware that the applicant does not meet the qualifications specified in subdivision (c).

(f) (1) After complying with the requirements of subdivision (e), the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall create a subpool for each of the five existing supervisorial districts of the board.

(2) (A) At a regularly scheduled meeting of the board, the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall conduct a random drawing to select one commissioner from each of the five subpools established by the clerk.

(B) After completing the random drawing pursuant to subparagraph (A), at the same meeting of the board, the clerk shall conduct a random drawing from all of the remaining applicants, without respect to subpools, to select three additional commissioners.

(g) (1) The eight selected commissioners shall review the remaining names in the subpools of applicants and shall appoint six additional applicants to the commission.

(2) The six appointees shall be chosen based on relevant experience, analytical skills, and ability to be impartial, and to ensure that the commission reflects the county’s diversity, including racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity. However, formulas or specific ratios shall not be applied for this purpose. The eight commissioners shall also consider political party preference, selecting applicants so that the political party preference of the members of the commission complies with subdivision (c).

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 29, Sec. 80. (SB 82) Effective June 27, 2019.)