Legislative committee recommendation would give Matheson an urban district

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson would get an urban district with a whole bunch of Democrats in it if the Utah Legislature meeting Monday in special session adopts the recommendation of a legislative redistricting committee.

But redistricting comes with a big price tag — any special U.S. House election next spring to elect four representatives could cost Utah taxpayers upwards of $6 million, says Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.

Under the new recommended plan adopted Wednesday, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, would get a few new constituents in his northern Utah 1st District, while Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, would get many new constituents in his much-changed 3rd District. And candidates for a possible fourth seat would run in a district that stretches from southern Salt Lake County west and south down to St. George.

Wednesday morning — after waiting about two hours as snow-struggling legislators tried to get to the Capitol and Democrats quickly drew more lines on a four-seat map — the 11-member redistricting committee wrapped up its work.

But the official recommendation — called "Plan L" — violates one of the GOP-dominated Legislature's basic redistricting goals, claimed committee member Rep. Ben Ferry, R-Corinne: "It doesn't have an urban and a rural component — it is only urban."

For a decade, GOP lawmakers have argued that there should not be a single U.S. House district in Salt Lake County — that all Utah congressmen should represent both urban and rural areas of the state. But under Plan L, Matheson's 2nd District would take in northern Salt Lake County, Park City and surrounding suburbs in Summit County and North Salt Lake and part of Woods Cross in Davis County.

It's a district that even Democrats on the redistricting committee — who were given unprecedented leeway in suggesting last-minute changes to the map — say is basically all urban.

"We have paid zero attention to what is going on here," says Matheson spokeswoman Alyson Heyrend. First, there's real doubt whether Congress will act on a new Utah seat in its current lame-duck session. Second, Heyrend believes there will be a "surprise" new four-seat map that will come up in Monday's state legislative session.

While Matheson will vote for any bill that gives Utah another U.S. House seat, "we believe the current redistricting process is flawed — politicians shouldn't be picking their own constituents" — rather a nonpartisan commission should draw congressional and legislative districts, said Heyrend.