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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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Labor Says No To Schwarzenegger/Republican/Common Cause Redistricting Measure

The California Majority Report.com
By Steven Maviglio
April 02, 2008

Calling it a "fatally flawed initiative that does not accurately reflect the state's partisan diversity and similarly prejudices minorities and Democrats registration by using a biased ranking system that ensures an increased number of Republican legislative seats," the State's Building and Construction Trades Council unanimously has voted to defeat the Schwarzenegger/Republican/Common Cause "Voters First" redistricting initiative.
 
Labor's vote is seemingly a warning shot to any Democrats that may be lured to endorse the initiative by good government groups. The signature gathering, as noted here, has been financed nearly exclusively by large Republican donors and Republican business groups.
 
Here's the resolution:
 
While the California redistricting process is in need of reform, the “California First” initiative is a fatally flawed initiative that does not accurately reflect the state’s partisan diversity and similarly prejudices minorities and Democrats registration by using a biased ranking system that ensures an increased number of Republican legislative seats.  Additionally, the complicated method for choosing members of the newly created Citizen’s Redistricting Commission further confuses this already complicated process.
 
WHEREAS the redistricting initiative’s criteria could directly affect compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which protects under-represented and minority groups from discrimination in the electoral process; and
 
WHEREAS this initiative would increase the difficulty of organizing and coordinating public hearings, particularly in the low-income, working-class communities; and 
 
WHEREAS the initiative would create a confusing process for appointing commission members that would not ensure accountability, diversity, or expertise; and
 
WHEREAS this initiative would create a system that could encourage impasse, which would automatically send the redistricting plan to the courts; and
 
WHEREAS the timeline for the initiative starts much too late, and will hamper the commissioners’ abilities to come up with good, practical plans; and
 
WHEREAS the commission size is only fourteen members, thus causing worry concerning their ability to fully representing the diversity of California; and
 
WHEREAS the provisions placed within the initiative that would try addressing conflicts of interest would actually discourage respectable, competent citizens from serving; and
 
WHEREAS the Commission will have specific seats reserved for members of specific political parties, with Democrats having an equal number of seats as Republicans wherein the state’s electorate has 1/3 more Democrats than Republicans; and
 
WHEREAS a never-before used redistricting criteria of “geographic compactness” requires that the redistricting map “shall be drawn” with this standard will further suppress Democratic performance by consolidating Democratic voters; and now
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the “California First” initiative will not give the diverse people of California equal voice, and thus violating its supposed primary mission; and
 
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that it will not fairly represent our diverse state and in fact undermines our diversity, political and ethnic, and
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the State Building and Construction Trades Council notify all its members and the citizens of the State of California to urge them to vote no on the California First initiative.