Stanislaus County is not a political backwater. Don’t treat us like one

Who represents you matters.

Lack of representation in colonial government led to the American Revolution and the birth of our country. Free people want and deserve to have their voices heard, and to elect people who will amplify those voices.

Diluting a region’s voice in government is one way to knock it down, to make that area irrelevant and inconsequential.

That’s a real concern for Stanislaus County as California enters a phase for redrawing boundaries of state Assembly, state Senate and congressional districts.

Boundaries for local districts in your city, county, school district and irrigation district also could shift in coming months as each resizes, a process that comes every 10 years following new Census numbers. We can talk about those local jurisdictions later; the immediate focus needs to be state and congressional districts, because the California Citizens Redistricting Commission soon will produce maps showing new boundaries.

Commissioners must not diminish and disrespect Stanislaus people by further diluting our representation in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

The Valley long has chafed under the reality that we wield weaker political muscle than the Bay Area and Southern California. This is partly true because of past gerrymandering that produced nonsensical boundaries, splitting what little clout we might otherwise have.

Consider that Sen. Andreas Borgeas’ 8th District — which takes in Turlock and Oakdale — also sprawls across 10 other counties. How could anyone adequately reflect the values of 11 different counties, from Rancho Cordova to Death Valley? It’s insane.

One might appreciate Borgeas’ care. But he could accomplish more with a more compact district.

So could Sen. Anna Caballero, whose 12th Senate District stretches from Monterey County through Modesto into Merced and Madera counties and includes 27 cities. Again, insane — when some other senatorial districts are mostly contained in one county and even one city.

That three state senators — Susan Eggman, Caballero and Borgeas — share parts of Stanislaus County reflects our unfortunate lack of political might. Redistricting commissioners should correct this and give us a unified voice in the California Senate.

The same goes in the state Assembly, where Stanislaus is split between Heath Flora and Adam Gray.

Stanislaus has been luckier at the congressional level, where the entire county resides in one compact district and has one congressman, Rep. Josh Harder. His 10th Congressional District also takes in south San Joaquin County, including Escalon, Ripon, Manteca and Tracy.

Best for us would be leaving the 10th unchanged. Another likely scenario has the 10th losing its slice of San Joaquin County and shifting south to pick up part of Merced County. That would not cause undue heartburn, as Stanislaus people have much in common with our neighbors to the south. Keeping so-called communities of interest together — with similar economic, geographic and ethnic needs — is an overarching goal, the redistricting commission says.

But splitting Stanislaus into two congressional districts could be catastrophic. Further diluting our voice in the nation’s Capitol would serve our interests poorly and contribute to an undeserved backwater perception. This absolutely must not happen.

Don’t even think about diluting Stanislaus representation

Is dilution a valid concern?

It is, particularly because the redistricting commission has exactly zero members from our area.

The commission’s creation a few years ago was universally applauded because independent members, not politicians, would draw new boundaries. Removing partisan considerations seemed a smart and fair course of action.

But the temptation to look out for one’s own geographic base might be hard to overcome.

The commission has a Republican from Tracy and a Democrat from Stockton — both in San Joaquin County — and no one else from the entire San Joaquin Valley. It’s not unreasonable to predict that San Joaquin County will be kept whole when new maps are unveiled in mid-December, unless the California Supreme Court grants an extension to Jan. 2.

Stanislaus County should enjoy the same treatment.

Keep us together, commissioners. Resist making Stanislaus an afterthought, a last priority. Give us the respect and strong, united voice our people deserve.