(May 12, 2007) -- So what is the 37th Congressional district, represented since early 2003 by the recently deceased Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D., Carson-LB) whom multiple candidates are seeking to succeed?

For map details, click larger or super large,

Who decided who's in the 37th Congressional district? In conducting a census-required redistricting (ostensibly to equalize populations among election districts), Sacramento Democrats (who held majorities in both houses of CA's legislature) drew district lines to perpetuate themselves in power (Gerrymandering).

The district's lines were drawn [Gerrymandered] in 2001 by a majority of Sacramento Democrats. Then-Assemblyman Lowenthal dissented and voted no; Assemblywoman Oropeza voted yes.

The redistricting stripped residents of ELB, Belmont Shore, Los Cerritos, Bixby Knolls and Cal Hts voters of a single representative accountable to their common interests...and diluted their unified voting power between two incumbents who had strong voting blocs outside LB.

80% of LB (including Los Cerritos, Bixby Knolls and Cal. Hts and chunk of ELB) was put into a mainly Carson-focused district represented at the time by Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D, Carson-LB). The remaining 20% of LB (most of ELB including Los Altos and all of SE LB including Belmont Shore) was put into the 45th Congressional district represented by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R., HB-LB-PV), whose constituents stretch from Huntington Beach to Palos Verdes.

The CA Secretary of State's website says that as of Feb. 10, 2007, the 37th Congressional district's registration was 57.56% Democrat, 19.94% Republican, 18.04% decline to state, and less than 1% each for Peace & Freedom and Libertarian.

For demographics of the district as of April 2002 via the State Senate's website, click here.

Monday afternoon May 14 is the deadline by which candidates seeking to run in a June 26 primary to fill the remainder of the term of the late Congresswoman Millender-McDonald must file paperwork to appear on the ballot. If no candidate wins over 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top voting-getting Democrat and the top voting-getting Republican will be held in late August...which means as a practical matter that the top voting-getting Dem in June will be the next Congressional representative (because the Dems drew the district lines to ensure it is overwhelmingly Democrat).

And finally: one doesn't have to live in the 37th district to run for it. A citizen residing anywhere in CA can seek election to represent any CA Congressional district; he or she doesn't have to live in the Congressional district that they seek to represent.