First Eight Members of Redistricting Commission Are Selected

Using a wire cage and ping-pong style lottery balls, State Auditor Elaine Howle selected the first eight members of the 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission, charged with drawing legislative district lines for the 2012 election.

The commission strips that power from state Senate and Assembly members and the state’s 53-member congressional delegation who opposed the initiatives creating the commission and appear to still be working to undermine the commission’s authority.

Of the eight members, two come from Los Angeles County, three from the Bay Area, one from Santa Cruz County, one from Riverside and one from Yolo.

Four are Asian, two are white, one is African-American and one is Hispanic.

The Republicans are Jodie Filkins Webber of Norco, Vincent Barabba of Capitola and Peter Yao of Claremont. Democrats are: Cynthia Dai of San Francisco, Elaine Kuo of Mountain View and Jeanne Raya of San Gabriel.

Stanley Forbes of Esparto and Connie Galambos Malloy of Oakland have no party affiliation.

Yao, Filkins Webber, Kuo and Raya earn between $125,000 and $250,000.

Yao is a Claremont City Councilman who retired from Raytheon systems in 2005.

Fllkins Webber is a lawyer. Kuo was a senior research analyst at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Raya is an insurance company executive.

Dai and Galambos Malloy, the panel’s only African American, earn $75,000 to $124,999, according to state auditor documents.

Dai is the CEO of a marketing firm. Galambos Malloy is a program manager for Urban Habitat which helps low-income individuals.

Forbes, a former Davis City Councilman from 1996 to 2000. He is co-owner of The Avid Reader bookstore in Sacramento.

Barabba, the founder of Market Insight whose website tracks consumer trends, makes over $250,000.

The eight members must select the remaining six members of the commission by December 31.