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2008
Gerrymandering The Vote: How A “Dirty
Dozen” States Suppress As Many As 9 Million Voters
Democratic Leadership Council
June 2008
Editorial: Perata's Power Play
San Francisco Chronicle
June 30, 2008
Democrats Fear Redistricting Measure Would
Curb Their Power In State
San Francisco Chronicle
June 27, 2008
Election-Map Initiative Helps Voters, State
Progress
Sacramento Bee
June 27, 2008
Politics And California Redistricting
CaliforniaProgressReport.com
June 27, 2008
Millions On Line In Ballot Drives
Sacramento Bee
June 24, 2008
Democratic Leaders Accused Of Pressuring
Supporters Of Redistricting Measure
Contra Costa Times Sacramento Bureau
June 21, 2008
California Is Branded Among A 'Dirty
Dozen' On Gerrymandering
Los Angeles Times
June 19, 2008
Redistricting In California: Control or
Democracy?
CaliorniaProgressReport.com
June 19, 2008
Changing Method Of Redistricting Makes
Ballot
San Francisco Chronicle
June 18, 2008
Government Reformer Down On Redistricting
Initiative
PolitickerCA.com
June 18, 2008
Redistricting Initiative Makes California
Ballot
San Jose Mercury News
June 17, 2008
Democratic Party Takes Stands On Ballot
Measures
CaliforninaMajorityReport.com
June 17, 2008
Cavala: Republicans Kill Reform Bill That
Hurts GOP Chances While Democrats Support 'Reform' That Hurts Their Chances
CaliforniaProgressReport.com
June 9, 2008
Speaking With The New Speaker
Los Angeles Times
June 2, 2008
Two Plans Created To Reform Districts
Modesto Bee
May 19, 2008
New Speaker Should Focus On Public
Interest
Los Angeles Daily News
May 13, 2008
Why Schwarzenegger's Redistricting Plan
Won't Work
California Majority Report.com
May 13, 2008
Tony Quinn: Redistricting Reform OK, But
It's Only A Start
Sacramento Bee
May 11, 2008
Governor May Face Donor Fatigue
Contra Costa Times
May 11, 2008
California Redistricting Plan Faces Hurdles
Capitol Weekly
May 7, 2008
Dan Walters: Competing Proposals For Remap
Sacramento Bee
May 7, 2008
Initiative On Redistricting Closer To
Ballot
San Francisco Chronicle
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Nunez Pushes Ethics Plan As Rival Petitions
Are Filed
Sacramento Bee
May 7, 2008
To Get Leadership Reform, We First Need
Redistricting
Los Angeles Daily News
May 1, 2008
Good Intentions Could Harm Redistricting
Ballot Measure
Los Angeles Times
April 28, 2008
Redistricting On Track To Qualify,
Consultant Says
New America Foundation.com
April 23, 2008
Why Are GOP Contributors Putting Big Money
Into Redistricting Reform?
California Progress Report.com
April 19, 2008
Gov's
Giving To Remap Measure Tops $1 million
Sacramento Bee Capital Alert
April 21, 2008
‘Due
Process’ Democrats Have Their Heads Buried in the California Sand
California Progress Report.com
April 20, 2008
Opinion: Seeing The Light
Los Angeles Daily News
April 19, 2008
California
Voters FIRST Presents A Balanced And Bipartisan Effort For Redistricting
Reform
California Progress Report.com
April 17, 2008
Schwarzenegger's
Redistricting Plan Comes Under Fire
Contra Costa Times
April 17, 2008
Group Says Plan Will Put A Stop To
Gerrymandering
The Simi Valley Acron
April 4, 2008
The Need For Redistricting Reform From
This California Democrat’s Perspective
California Progress Report.com
April 4, 2008
Labor Says No To
Schwarzenegger/Republican/Common Cause Redistricting Measure
The California Majority Report.com
April 02, 2008
Revenge In Attack On Legislative
Redistricting?
California Progress Report.com
March 31, 2008
Weintraub: Governor Gets Another Shot At
Redistricting Reform
Sacramento Bee
March 30, 2008
Editorial: Can't Legislature Do Better Than
Bills On Dogs, Donkeys?
The Fresno Bee
March 30, 2008
Walters: Voters Irate At Budget Posturing
Sacramento Bee
March 28, 2008
New Foundation To Campaign For More Efficient
California Government
Sacramento Bee
March 27, 2008
Editorial: California Voters Should Support
Redistricting Ballot Measure
Fresno Bee
March 24, 2008
Editorial: Redraw the Map
Los Angeles Daily News
March 22, 2008
Walters: Court Ruling Offers Hope to
Dysfunctional California Politics
Sacramento Bee
March 19, 2008
Supreme Court to Hear Major Redistricting
Case
The Thicket at State Legislatures (ncsl.com)
March 18, 2008
Editorial: Let Citizens Redraw the Map
The Torrance Daily Breeze
March 17, 2008
Walters: Redistrict Reformers Miss Mark
Sacramento Bee
March 10, 2008
Let Citizens
Redraw Map
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
March 9, 2008
Governor Proposes Redistricting Ballot
Measure
North County Times
March 8, 2008
Redistricting Initiative Has Strong
Republican Backing
San Jose Mercury News
March 6, 2008
Governor Gathers Signatures to Qualify
Redistricting Measure
San Jose Mercury News
March 4, 2008
Manipulative Lawmakers Playing To The Crowd
Fresno Bee
February 14, 2008
State Voters Need To Do What Lawmakers
Won't
Los Angeles Daily News
February 14, 2008
Editorial: What We Need In Sacramento,
Redistricting, Not Retaliation
San Jose Mercury News
February 14, 2008
Redistricting Reform, Not Longer Terms, Is
The Answer
California Republic.org
February 12, 2008
The Buzz: A Hardball Tactic Could Ricochet
Sacramento Bee
February 11, 2008
Wake Up, Sacramento Media! Wake Up! Wake
Up! Wake Up!
San Diego Union Tribune
February 8, 2008
Editorial: Passive Aggressive Lawmakers
Just Play to the Crowd
Fresno Bee
February 8, 2008
Nunez Takes Blame For Prop. 93 Loss
Los Angeles Daily News
February 7, 2008
Weingand: Voters Got A Whiff and Said 'No'
Sacramento Bee
February 7, 2008
Lawmakers Believe In Term Limits But
Oppose The Measure
North County Times
February 4, 2008
Good For Us
Los Angeles Times
February 4, 2008
Commentary: A Conversation with Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Sacramento Bee
January 20, 2008
Walters: Two Party Structure Under Fire
Sacramento Bee
January 18, 2008
Walters: Governor's Brownian Flip-Flops
Sacramento Bee
January 16, 2008
Editorial: Corruption of a Good Idea
San Francisco Chronicle
January 15, 2008
Governor Supports Term Limit Measure
Sacramento Bee
January 15, 2008
A Deceptive Prop. 93
San Francisco Chronicle
January 10, 2008
Use Prop. 93 To Say 'No"
dailybreeze.com
January 3, 2008
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A Deceptive Prop. 93
By Debra J. Saunders
San Francisco Chronicle
January 10, 2008
Say there's an argument for getting rid of term limits in
California. Assume that if voters had not approved a 1990
term-limits measure, seasoned lawmakers would not have allowed the
$14 billion shortfall staring California in the face to develop.
Just when I start rethinking my support for term limits,
Sacramento solons have come up with a scheme so arrogant, so greedy
- and so ridiculous - that I have to rethink my rethinking of term
limits.
I present to you Proposition 93, the reputed term-limits reform
measure brought to you by the leaders of the California Legislature.
The 1990 term-limits law limited service to six years in the
Assembly and eight years in the state Senate, for a total of 14
years. Supporters want you to think the 2008 version is a tougher
measure, as it caps total time in the Legislature at 12 years.
Voter beware: Thanks to what the attorney general's office
euphemistically calls a "transition period," Proposition
93 allows the clock to start anew for some 42 Sacramento incumbents.
So while the AG's ballot summary says the measure "reduces the
amount of time a person may serve in the state legislature from 14
years to 12 years," it actually would allow some lawmakers to
serve as long as 16 years.
In case you haven't guessed it, that means Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, who were
term-limited out at the end of this year, would be able to hold onto
their seats for four more years, in the case of Perata, and six more
years, in the case of Núñez.
How is it, you might ask, that lawmakers who are supposed to lose
their seats this year could nonetheless qualify to be on the ballot?
Mirabile dictu, Sacramento rejiggered the election. Last year,
the Senate and Assembly passed a bill, signed by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, which set up an early presidential primary election
in February and a second June primary for state officials. Somehow,
Democratic leaders, who complained about the $55 million cost of the
2005 special election, found themselves championing two 2008
primaries - one conveniently early so that a measure could be put on
the ballot that would allow Perata, Núñez and company to run for
re-election. Prop. 93 was born.
When it looked as if supporters had failed to garner the
necessary signatures to qualify their measure for the February
ballot without a time-consuming signature check - which would take
weeks and thus place the measure on the June ballot - four counties,
including Alameda and Contra Costa, magically revised their counts
upward - just in time to help Perata and Núñez hang on.
After the needed signatures appeared, all talk of promised
redistricting reform disappeared. Núñez and Perata had talked
about reforming how seats are apportioned to make them more
competitive. But once they got what they wanted - a February
primary, a forgiving signature count and a bait-and-switch
initiative that could help them hold onto the power - they dropped
even the pretense of cleaning up their act.
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, a Republican,
notes that all the swells needed now was an underfunded No on 93
campaign. To challenge this "naked power grab," Poizner
donated $1.5 million of his own money to defeat 93.
As a believer in redistricting reform, Poizner noted that if
legislative leaders get rid of term limits, "they will never in
a million years, out of the goodness of their hearts" agree to
reforms that would make legislators more accountable to voters.
More Poizner: "If it wasn't for these term limits, they'd be
there forever. With gerrymandering, there's no competition
left."
Former state Controller Steve Westly, a Democrat, told The
Chronicle editorial board Tuesday that he supports redistricting
reform "emphatically," but that the need for more
experienced lawmakers is so great that he supports Proposition 93.
Do "not hold the good hostage for the perfect," Westly
said. "This is still good policy."
Sorry. It cannot be good policy to reward a dishonest scheme
concocted by otherwise feckless politicians. California is facing a
$14 billion budget shortfall. Now Californians are supposed to vote
to change the Constitution to keep the same truth-challenged
legislators in power longer?
In 1990, voters supported term limits because they wanted to
evict arrogant self-serving legislative leaders. A new like-minded
crew thinks that they can fool California voters and hang onto
power. Why does it seem that the only time Sacramento leaders rush
into action is when they choose to mislead the public in order to
save their sorry seats?
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