SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 — Angelo Ancheta, who teaches election and voting-rights law at Santa Clara University School of Law and is director the University’s Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, has been named to the 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission, the voter-created body that is re-drawing legislative, congressional and other voting districts in California by Aug. 15.
A former legal director of Harvard University’s Civil Rights Project, Ancheta teaches constitutional law, voting rights, election law, immigration law and civil rights at Santa Clara University. At the Alexander Community Law Center, he oversees eleven support staff and supervising attorneys as well as numerous law students who provide pro bono advice and representation in several areas including workers’ rights, consumer rights and immigration rights.
“It’s a great honor to be named to this important commission,” said Ancheta. “The creation of the commission marks a major shift in how the public participates and is represented by their elected officials.”
He worked on redistricting advocacy in the 1990s, advising Asian-Pacific Islander American community groups. From 1994 to 1998 he was executive director of the Asian Law Caucus.
The commission is required to be composed of five Republicans, five Democrats and four members unaffiliated with those parties.
Ancheta, a Democrat, was one of a half-dozen candidates who were being considered to replace Democratic commissioner Elaine Kuo who stepped down due earlier this month due to time constraints. He was chosen by a vote of 9 to 3.
Previously, the work of redrawing district lines was the work of state elected officials. But beginning with voter-approved Proposition 11 in 2008 and Proposition 20 last year, the work was allocated to the Citizens Redistricting Commission.
The next commission meeting is Feb. 10.
Ancheta’s biography can be found here: law.scu.edu/faculty/profile/ancheta-angelo.cfm. He can be reached for interview requests at aancheta@scu.edu or via Deborah Lohse of SCU Media Relations, dlohse@scu.edu (e-mail/BlackBerry) or (408) 554-5121 (o) or (408) 768-6898 (c).
About Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law, founded in 1911 on the site of California’s oldest operating higher-education institution, is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. One of the nation’s most diverse law schools, Santa Clara Law offers its 975 students an academically rigorous program, including graduate degrees in international law and intellectual property law; combined J.D./MBA degree; and certificates in intellectual property law, international law, and public interest and social justice law. Santa Clara Law is located in the world-class business center of Silicon Valley, and is distinguished nationally for our top-ranked program in intellectual property. For more information, see law.scu.edu.