UPDATE: Senate Lines For Lake Elsinore, Wildomar Stand

1/27 UPDATE 10:15 a.m.: The California Supreme Court has concluded that the Senate redistricting map drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission last year will be used in the upcoming primary and general elections. The high court ordered that, if the proposed referendum challenging the map qualifies for the ballot, "the Secretary of State and local election officials are to use the state Senate map certified by the Commission as interim boundaries for the 2012 primary and general elections. The Commission’s certified state Senate map is the alternative most consistent with the constitutional scheme and criteria embodied in the federal and state Constitutions."

To read the court's full written opinion, click on the attached PDF or click here.

1/26 ORIGINAL POST: Friday the California Supreme Court is expected to issue a written opinion in a controversial redistricting case that could affect local elections.

Among other things, the case before the justices, Vandermost v. Bowen (Citizens Redistricting Commission), presents the following: (1) What state Senate district map should be used for the 2012 primary and general elections if the proposed referendum challenging the map qualifies for the ballot and triggers an automatic stay? 

Some members of , however, saying the redrawn Senate district lines favor Democrats.

Although the written opinion from the justices is pending, under the new Citizens Redistricting Commission’s map, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar fall into Senate District 28 for the upcoming election. The district includes Murrieta to the south, Corona to the north, and many desert communities to the east. (See attached map.)

Currently, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar are split between two Senators: Bill Emmerson (R-Hemet) represents Lake Elsinore, and Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) oversees Wildomar. Emmerson’s term expires this year; Anderson is up in 2014.

when it unanimously denied two pending petitions for writs of mandate that challenged the validity of the new state Senate and Congressional maps. The high court also denied petitioners’ requests for an emergency stay of the certified maps.

Friday's written opinion by the justices is expected to be issued at 10 a.m.  At the time of filing, the opinion will be available on the California Courts Web site at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/opinions.cgi