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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
more
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Redistricting Initiative Has Strong Republican
Backing
Donors Typically Give To Causes Backed By GOP
By Steven Harmon
San Jose Mercury News, Sacramento Bureau
March 6, 2008
SACRAMENTO - In a display of bipartisan unity, Republican Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Controller Steve Westly, a
Democrat, went from table to table at a local restaurant this week,
beseeching diners to sign a petition supporting a new redistricting
initiative.
But where it counts - in campaign contributions - there is a more
partisan tinge to the ballot drive than the image promoted by
backers. Republicans, who would love to cut into the Democratic
stranglehold on the Legislature, have been far more enthusiastic
donors than Democrats.
Nearly all of the $542,500 raised so far by California Voters First
has come from donors who typically give to Republican candidates and
GOP causes, according to campaign finance reports.
"If they don't fix that, they're in trouble," said Barbara
O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and
the Media at California State University-Sacramento, who has served
on the Voices of Reform board advocating redistricting reform.
"If Democrats don't start contributing, people will say who's
this helping and whose ox is being gored?"
Westly would not publicly commit to investing any of his vast
personal wealth into the campaign, but insisted Democrats will be
just as involved as Republicans.
"You will see Democrats step up," Westly said. "I
don't think this will affect the partisan balance in the Legislature
one bit. The only difference is that this will be the first time
we'll have competitive districts."
The measure's largest donor, The New Majority, which has contributed
$150,000, boasts that it is California's largest Republican
political action committee. Its mission statement is to
"broaden the appeal of the Republican party by promoting a
fiscally responsible philosophy toward government." It has
donated more than $8 million to Schwarzenegger's campaigns, GOP
causes and ballot measures, including Schwarzenegger's first, failed
attempt at redistricting.
Another donor, William Powers - an investment manager with Manhattan
Beach-based Pacific Investment Management - contributed $100,000
just this week to the ballot drive. He's previously given $250,000
to Schwarzenegger's Recovery Team PAC; $50,000 to the failed GOP
initiative to allocate California's electoral college votes based on
congressional districts; and $13,700 to the California Republican
Party.
Among other donations, in 2004, Powers gave $250,000 to the Progress
for America Voter Fund, a conservative non-profit organization that
spent $29 million in 2004 to re-elect President Bush.
"This is just another partisan power grab," said Steve
Maviglio, the chief of staff for Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez,
D-Los Angeles. "There's no reason big Republican donors would
invest in this unless the result would be more Republican
seats."
Tom Ross, political director for The New Majority, said his group's
only goal in seeking the creation of an independent redistricting
commission is to create more competitive districts.
"Yes, we'd like to see more Republicans," said Ross,
former chief of staff for ex-GOP minority leader Jim Brulte.
"But I don't think anyone knows what the outcome will be. The
issue is to also have a state that governs well. By forcing
candidates to run in competitive general elections, you'd have a
moderating impact on the kinds of candidates who run."
Schwarzenegger and Westly, co-chairs of the effort, kicked off the
proposal's signature-gathering campaign to qualify it for the
November ballot. The measure would transfer the power to draw
political boundaries from the Legislature to a 14-member citizens
commission of five Democrats, five Republicans and four independent
or minor-party voters.
The panel would carve out legislative and Board of Equalization
districts, but not congressional - to avoid what could have been a
prohibitively expensive shooting match with House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, D-San Francisco, who sees an independent committee as a
threat to her desire to increase her majority.
Groups that promote government reform such as Common Cause of
California, the League of Women Voters and AARP are all co-sponsors
of the ballot drive, and they insist the current effort differs from
Schwarzenegger's 2005 attempt to change redistricting - which was
universally panned as a partisan power grab.
"AARP would not be supporting this if it was not a bipartisan
effort that does not look at the outcome," said Jeannine
English, political director at AARP. "We expect there will be
an equal number of Democratic (financial) supporters."
Jack Pitney, political science professor at Claremont McKenna
College, was skeptical.
"It's unlikely Democrats would gain under redistricting
reform," Pitney said. "Any change would probably work in
the other direction. So, it's not surprising that Republicans are
the contributors. The catch-22 is that if the early money is
Republican, potential Democratic donors might be scared off thinking
it's a Republican initiative."
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