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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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The Need For Redistricting Reform From This
California Democrat’s Perspective
California Progress Report.com
By John A. Smith
Region 16 Director, California Democratic Party
April 4, 2008
I place high value on those who can disagree without being
disagreeable, and I respect their opinions because they truly see
some greater good in their own argument. However, when someone uses
insults and innuendo to attack their opponents, I not only lose all
respect for the person making the insult, I also realize they
don’t have a rational argument to make in the first place. If they
did, they would use it without resorting to the smear.
Recently, a political consultant attacked Fred Keeley and Leon
Panetta for their position in favor of the Independent Redistricting
initiative. Whether you like the initiative or not, Keeley and
Panetta are outstanding former lawmakers who know firsthand how our
redistricting process is broken. These two leaders are among a
growing league of former lawmakers who recognize the long term
damage to the political process and public trust that gerrymandering
inflicts. They really have nothing to gain by this reform outside of
a better California. And as former elected representatives who know
exactly how the current system functions, it’s only appropriate
that they’re calling for an overhaul of the process. They do not
deserve this attack.
Call it a sound bite if you like, but it’s true: lawmakers drawing
their own districts is a conflict of interest. Among the people
defending this broken system most aggressively are those who benefit
most from the status quo: key political staff. Consultants who
encourage support of the current system are protecting their clients
and elected bosses, which allows them to protect their jobs. It is,
after all, how they make their living. We shouldn’t expect
anything different, but please let’s not look to these very
talented people to guide our judgment on an issue in which they have
a direct, personal financial interest.
In safe districts, primary elections are dominated by candidates
with the most severe partisan behavior and beliefs. This means that
legislators selected in the general election are not representative
of the overwhelming majority of Californians – who are neither
fiercely conservative, nor liberal – but instead by the marginal
voters who are interested in strictly partisan rhetoric.
Since our legislature drew their own districts in 2001, there have
been a total of 495 elections for Assembly, State Senate, and
Congress. In those elections, only 4 districts were won by the
opposing party. We’ve all seen the real result: a Legislature so
broken by partisan gridlock and contention that they have failed
miserably to reach middle ground for fear of alienating their base
of hard-core partisan voters.
If more legislative elections are competitive, rather than a
foregone conclusion, and the election system puts voters first by
placing them in districts that were not designed to protect
partisans or incumbents, we will see different campaigns and
different decisions. In turn, the skills of campaign consultants
would be better aligned with the public interest if they were
helping candidates appeal to everyone in their districts rather than
only one side or the other.
I, for one, want to get past the partisan rancor and hope to find in
civic life and state politics a respectful discussion focused on how
we can improve the governance of California. We don’t get anywhere
by publicly and personally tearing down our best public leaders.
We need to figure out how to fix the system so it brings out the
best candidates and brings out the best in those who are elected. We
need to start by modeling the kind of discourse we would like hear
among our elected officials.
John A. Smith currently serves as Director of Region 16 for the
California Democratic Party. His region includes Assembly Districts
60-61-62-63-72. Mr. Smith has been active in grassroots politics for
about 12 years. He received a BS in Business from the University of
Redlands.
Posted on April 04, 2008
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