I know this isn't nearly as clever as Stephen Colbert's clever "Better Know A District" segments, nor will there be a video interview with our representative, Loretta Sanchez, but here goes.California's 47th Congressional District is located in north Orange County and includes the cities of Garden Grove and Santa Ana as well as parts of Fullerton and Anaheim, including Disneyland. As Congressional districts go, it's fairly compact and not too oddly shaped.
According to Wikipedia, the district covers 55 square miles and is 100% urban, not unusual for Southern California. That was probably not always the case, but we have now lost almost all of our agricultural land in this part of the state. The population of the district is 639,087 with ethnic makeup listed as 17.8% White, 1.5% Black, 13.9% Asian, 65.3% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, and 0.1% other. Median income for the district is $41,618. The 47th the only district in the county that's fairly well-balanced between Republicans and Democrats. Loretta Sanchez has been our rep since 1996, but before that we had Republican Robert Dornan. (I will say no more on that subject except that I'm glad he's gone.) Loretta is unique in that she is one of two sisters in Congress. Her sister Linda, another Democrat, represents a district in Los Angeles County. During the primary, they each chose a different candidate to support. Loretta stumped for Hillary Clinton while Linda campaigned for Barack Obama.
I've been to Congresswoman Sanchez's website recently to see what's going on re money for the district in the economic stimulus package. Lately I've seen too many people prowling through garbage cans looking for bottles and cans to recycle. Given the times we live in, I think it's good if we all start paying more attention to our elected representatives.
Linda
My Town Monday is the brilliant brain child of writer/blogger Travis Erwin. Thanks, Travis! Go to his blog to read his latest post and find links to the other participants.
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17 comments:
Unfortunately Colbert has our rep on TV and it was one of the most embarrassing segments of his show. She seemed to have no idea who he was, nor anything at all about government.
Interesting that the district is so well balanced between the major political parties. Not so true here.
I agree with you about paying attention to our elected officials. It is, IMO, crucial that we do so.
I third the motion that we pay more attention to our elected officials. I think we all got lulled into a false sense of complacency and a skewed focus on money first, so we missed it when pretty much all our elected officials hopped into bed with some very sleazy corporate types. Interesting post, Linda.
It's a shame about losing the agricultural land in the name of progress.
Not all governmental electives are capable of there jobs, which is true even in Canada.
Patti, I don't blame any Congressman who refuses to go on the show. All Stephen wants to do is make them look stupid. The only one who really holds her own with him is Esther Holmes Norton (I think that's right) who reps DC. She just won't put up with his nonsense and he's had her back several times. It's always a hoot.
Debra, there are always a few competitive districts but they're in the minority. It'll be interesting to see how redistricting works out next time since the Calif. leg won't be doing it. Sometimes I love the initiative process. :)
Teresa, you are so right. For too many years, we the people didn't pay enough attention to what was going on in DC, and we ended up with government of, by and for the special interests. And look where that got us!
Barbara, you said a mouthful. Some politicians are dumb as a stump, and some are just plain crazy. I was embarrassed to admit I lived in the district when we had our former Congressman.
I love this post!!!
We do have to follow what our congressional reps do, and we have to follow it closely.
I believe that they count on our not paying attention, and often they are correct.
Terrie
Aye, Aye, we need to keep track of what our elected officials are doing for us. Interesting, Linda, that Northern Orange County is mixed. South Orange County tends to be Republican/Conservative while Los Angeles is Democratic/Liberal.
Terrie, I'm afraid you're right, that too many politicians count on the public not paying attention. And frankly, the media isn't doing a great job of monitoring and reporting on important issues either. Just MHO.
Kathleen, I believe No. OC has become a transitional area between liberal LA and conservative south OC & San Diego. FWIW I used to be a Republican, but I'm now a Dem. The times they are a'changing.
The dreaded urban sprawl. I agree and we Canadians must also keep a closer eye on our elected officials.
I bet the districts in my area cover closer to 500 square miles but then again the population is much smaller.
How kind to put a map up! My ignorance of US geo-political boundaries...
Illuminating post!
Travis, I figured the districts in your area were a lot bigger in size. The CA districts in the dessert are pretty spread out, too.
Reb and Jenn, what I know about Canadian politics can be carved on the head of a pin. We all need to pay attention to what our elected reps are doing though, whether it's in Washington, DC or in Ottawa.
It's always good for me to learn more about CA. Especially since you're just a little north of me. Thanks!
Yes, it's only a couple of hours to San Diego, if that. Should drive down more often. San Diego is so nice.
"Paying more attention to our elected representatives" is something I feel like quite a few are going to be doing this next election cycle if people continue to lose their jobs at this rate.
David, I hope we're going to stop bleeding jobs soon. It's such a bad situation. Unemployment is over 10% here in Calif., last I heard.
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