Redistricting High on Legislative Agenda

In addition to tackling the state’s energy crisis, California lawmakers this year will carve out new legislative and congressional districts, a key political exercise based on results of the U.S. Census.

Republicans realize they are not likely to fare well in the reapportionment, given their minority status in the Legislature. Among Republicans’ top priorities is maintaining unity in both houses so they can fight any Democratic gerrymandering.

Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks), however, scoffed at the notion of a Democratic power grab.

“It’s an internal game that most voters will not care too much about,” he said. “It will take much of our time. But my mantra is to respect the Constitution. We don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we find our work questioned and wind up in court.”

Alan Clayton, working to improve minority representation through the Los Angeles City/County Latino Redistricting Coalition, said it would be naive to believe that Democrats will not press their advantage.

“This is the most cutthroat political thing there is,” he said. Clayton and other Latino activists want to make sure Democrats do not extend their reach at the expense of Latino-heavy political districts, thereby diluting the burgeoning Latino vote.

Already, Republicans are struggling in California. They hold 30 seats in the 80-seat Assembly and 14 in the 40-seat Senate. Republicans also are a distinct minority in the California congressional delegation, holding 20 of the state’s 52 House seats. The state will soon get an extra House seat as a result of population gains.

With a budget surplus of about $10 billion, Republican lawmakers are calling for $3.4 billion in tax cuts. However, lawmakers believe that the economy is slowing, so a tax cut of that magnitude seems unlikely.

Other issues on lawmakers’ agenda this year include:

* Gun control. Gov. Gray Davis called for a moratorium on new gun laws in 2000. But 2001 could see a return to aggressive gun control legislation. State Sen. Jack Scott (D-Altadena), one of the Legislature’s leading gun control advocates, has introduced a licensing measure similar to one he pulled back late in the last session rather than face Davis’ veto.

“The political climate in California is very clear: Californians are in favor of more gun regulations,” Scott said.

Assemblyman Bill Leonard (R-San Bernardino) said Democrats have already made it hard enough to get guns: “The Democrats say they recognize the rights of the elderly and women to protect themselves. But at every turn, they make that difficult.”

* Housing. Lawmakers say there is too great a disparity between the number of new jobs being created and new homes being built. The housing crunch is causing ever-increasing commutes to far-flung subdivisions. The problem, which spurred bipartisan legislation last year, could once again lead to bills intended to fill in vacant urban parcels and promote intelligent construction.

* Schools. Democrats and Republicans will spar over how to meet California’s skyrocketing demand for new classrooms. Hertzberg and other Democrats are floating the idea of a statewide bond measure to pay for new schools, while Republicans favor investing more of the state surplus. Hertzberg is focused on improving community colleges, which he says have been underfunded for years.

* Prison conditions. Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) plans hearings on medical services in the prison system. Legislators who supported Proposition 36, the successful November ballot measure allowing treatment rather than imprisonment for drug users, will be pushing for more drug treatment money.

* Foster care. Many lawmakers consider California’s foster care system dysfunctional, sending too many children straight to juvenile hall.

* The digital divide, Internet taxes and privacy. Davis last year vetoed legislation by Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) that would have forced online retailers such as Barnesandnoble.com, which critics allege were set up independently of their brick-and-mortar counterparts to avoid taxation, to pay up. Migden is promising a return performance.

*

Times staff writer Dan Morain contributed to this story.