Dems favor status quo on districts

Tuesday, May 1, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

When it comes to redrawing legislative districts for the next decade, two leading Democrats said Clark County residents would be better off if the Nevada Legislature remained the same size.

State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus and Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, both of Las Vegas, said Monday that Democrats favor maintaining 21 senators and 42 assemblymen even though Nevada has grown tremendously since the districts were last redrawn in 1991.

Under the Democratic plan, which they discussed with the Las Vegas Sun Editorial Board, Clark County's delegation would grow from 26 to 29 assemblymen and from 13 to 14.5 senators, with one Senate seat also covering part of Nye County. The gains to Clark County would reduce seats in Northern Nevada under the Democratic proposal.

"The whole purpose of redistricting is to go where the population is and two-thirds of the population is here in Clark County," Giunchigliani said.

The Republican plan advocated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, would maintain Northern Nevada's eight Senate seats and 16 Assembly districts, while giving Clark County two additional senators and four more assemblymen. Under the GOP plan the Legislature would grow from 63 to 69 members, which is still six below the 75-member limit set in the state Constitution.

Raggio was not available for immediate comment, but northern lawmakers have argued that it would be unfair to rural districts to be spread too thin in terms of representation.

But Titus and Giunchigliani said increasing the size of the Legislature would dilute Clark County's power and could hurt it on issues such as fair distribution of state revenue.

"Right now this issue is a Democratic vs. Republican issue rather than a north vs. south issue," Titus said. "The northern incumbent seats the Republicans want to protect are held mostly by Republicans."

Giunchigliani also said it would cost the state about $310,000 for every additional legislator, including the staff to help that lawmaker.

Both Democrats said their plan would create a Southern Nevada Assembly seat that is at least 70 percent Hispanic. But they said there is no guarantee that Hispanics, who are the largest ethnic minority in Clark County, would win that seat unless they fielded a strong candidate.

The Legislature has until May 25 to approve a redistricting map based on the 2000 Census for not only legislative seats but Nevada's three congressional seats. Nevada gains a third congressional seat beginning with the 2002 election because of its growth.

Giunchigliani said the consensus seems to be that Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., would still represent the 16 counties north of Clark County.

The Democrats favor two congressional seats in Clark County, including a Democratic-majority seat for Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. and a competitive district.

Republicans have said they would favor either two competitive Clark County seats or a solid GOP seat and a Democratic district, guaranteeing Republicans a two-to-one edge statewide with Gibbons' seat also in the mix.