In response to State Assembly debate on legislative redistricting, Milwaukee Common Council Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa issued the following statement:
“Disinformation about the Voting Rights Act has no place in the debate about legislative redistricting, whether from a Republican or a Democrat.
“For the voices and votes of Latinos to be given full representation, we need an honest discussion about who is crafting legislative district maps and to what ends.
“When Representative Ortiz-Velez spoke out about the attempts by the non-partisan Peoples’ Maps Commission convened by Governor Evers to draw fair legislative maps, she carried water for Speaker Vos and his attempts to gerrymander an anti-Latino majority.
“As the former State Assembly Representative for the 8th District, the first Latina/Latinx woman to serve in the Wisconsin Legislature, a current Alder for many of the same constituents, and as a leader in the Latino communities of Milwaukee and the South Side, I am disappointed that Rep. Ortiz-Velez used our constituents to advance her own position while aiding those who would harm our people.
“Like many in the arena of public affairs, I have concerns with the product of the Peoples’ Map Commission, but Latinos, immigrants, South Siders, and Democrats all would benefit from a straightforward, honest and public-interested discussion about district lines.”
