Republicans unveil maps of a redrawn Assembly

Friday, May 4, 2001 | 11:28 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Republican Assembly members unveiled their reapportionment plan Thursday. It expands the Assembly to 46 members, creating five predominantly Hispanic districts in Clark County and retains the two districts for blacks.

"We've drawn the maps and this is fairer," says Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville. It would increase the number of assemblymen to 46 from 42.

Under the GOP proposal, Clark County would have 32 of the 46 seats. One of the Clark County districts would encompass Pahrump in Nye County. Clark County now has 26 seats in the House.

This plan contrasts with the Democrats, who favor retaining the present 42 members with the Clark County delegation growing from 26 to 29 members.

Democrats would create at least one Southern Nevada Assembly seat that is at least 70 percent Hispanic.

The Republican plan calls for five districts in Clark County where the Hispanic population would range from 51 percent to 56 percent. In addition, there is one district in Washoe County with a 43 percent Hispanic poplulation.

Hettrick said, "We don't see why they can't win with more than 50 percent," in the districts. "We believe the governor wants this. And these people have a right to this."

The two traditional black districts in Clark County would have 31 percent and 35 percent blacks and 27 percent and 18 percent Hispanic respectively.

Each of the Hispanic districts in Clark County and the one in Washoe County would have a majority of registered Democrats.

Hettrick said there have not been any discussions with the Democrats so far on drawing the lines. And he acknowledged there will be changes.

As a backup, the GOP also drew a map to keep the Assembly at its present size. It would include four districts where the Hispanic population is greater than 50 percent

Under this plan, 21 districts would have a Republican voter majority and the remaining 21 districts would have a Democrat edge.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said expanding the size of the Legislature would dilute Clark County's power and could hurt it on issues such as fair distribution of state revenues.

And they say each additional seat would cost taxpayers about $310,000.

If the GOP plan is accepted, there would be 24 districts with a majority of registered Republican voters and 22 districts where the Democrats held the edge.

In the present Assembly, Democrats outnumber Republicans 27-15.

The districts would range in size from 41,093 population to 45,779. And they would fit into the tolerance level of population deviation accepted by the courts, Hettrick said.

All current Assembly seats would be protected except one, Hettrick said. In Washoe County, it might throw Vivian Freeman into a district with either Sheila Leslie or Debbie Smith. All three are Democrats.

The breakdown under the 46-member plan would give six districts to rural Nevada and eight seats to Washoe County.

The GOP plan, Hettrick said, allows Northern Nevada to keep some of its members; it makes the districts smaller in population than the Democratic plan and it allows more districts for minority races than the Democrats.