|
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
|
 |
Revenge In Attack On Legislative Redistricting?
California Progress Report.com
By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento
March 31, 2008
Leon Panetta is the lead “Democrat” in yet another group of
reformers bent on changing California’s political institutions.
His first target is legislative redistricting.
The major charge against the Legislature performing this
traditional role is that it involves incumbent Members in a
“conflict of interest”. To quote the Governor, it allows
politicians to choose their voters instead of vice-versa. A nice
turn of phrase. But mostly a false one.
Not counting a stint as an intern, I have been involved as a
staffer on six different legislative redistricting efforts (how time
flies when you’re having a good time). I think this qualifies me
as an expert – or at least as experienced.
Because redistricting is ultimately a piece of legislation, votes
from incumbents are necessary. But typically all that is required to
obtain those votes is to begin the new district with the shell of
the old one (that elected that incumbent in the first instance).
In 2001, that “shell” was the seat drawn by the California
Supreme Court. Virtually all the seats drawn in 2001 were simply
versions of the Court-drawn districts adjusted for population
growth.
When major changes are – for whatever reason – made in the
architecture of the seat that first elected an incumbent, obtaining
the vote of that incumbent becomes problematic.
That is the real effect of incumbency on redistricting.
Fanciful notions of customizing seats for members ignore the
legal requirements of equal population, respecting city and county
boundaries, contiguity, the federal voting rights act and
communities of interest – which include geographical features like
connecting highways. All of these requirements, if not met, will
serve as the basis for litigation in this the most litigious of
areas. Precious little freedom is left for incumbents to tinker.
And this fact has always grated on incumbents. They give way to
the exigencies that limit their ability to tinker, but not happily.
If their ‘old’ seat isn’t maintained within the new one in the
plan, their vote becomes problematic. (Three Santa Clara
Assemblymembers voted against the 2001 plan for this reason).
In 1981, the Supreme Court imposed the Legislature’s version of
Congressional Districts for the 1982 election after a successful
Republican-sponsored referendum had initially voided that plan. Late
in 1982 the Legislature passed another Congressional plan signed by
Governor Brown just prior to the ascension of Republican Governor
Deukmejian – who would have vetoed it.
On the final night of the special session considering
redistricting, the state legislators from Monterey/Santa Cruz
announced they would not vote for the plan without last minute
changes designed to placate the incumbent Congressman from their
area – Leon Panetta. Failure to obtain their votes meant the plan
would fail passage. So Panetta was temporarily accommodated – even
though the changes wrought in his district threw the entire plan out
of kilter from an equal population standpoint. Subsequently
Secretary of State March Fong changed the plan back to it’s pre-Panetta
tinkering, claiming a “technical” drafting error. Panetta was
understandably upset.
Could the “reform” efforts he now leads have been affected by
this history?
Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s
Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.
He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and
received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught
political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked
part-time for the State Assembly.
Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly
Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in
1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and
including Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.
Posted on March 31, 2008
Comments
Take one look at the shape of our districts and all of your
arguments fall flat. Look at the 50th and 52 congressional
Districts! Look at them all! With all their hooks and loops and
fingerlets, don't tell me that these are compact, following the
lines of communities. There are outcroppings made just to include an
incumbent's home. One picture is worth all of your words. Mr.
Panetta did just what most of incumbents do, when they can. They
gerrymander. The people have to take that power away from them, once
and for all.
Posted by: Jeanne Brown at March 31, 2008 11:39 PM
|
