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2008
Prop. 11 Will Take Politics Out Of
Redistricting
Marin Independent Journal
August 17, 2008
Reforming Redistricting: Let Independent
Citizens Draw The Lines
Capitol Weekly
August 14, 2008
Democrats Need Not Fear Prop. 11 On
Redistricting
California Progress Report.com
August 14, 2008
Democrats Break Ranks On Prop. 11
San Francisco Chronicle
August 13, 2008
Proposition 11: Fake Redistricting Reform
California Progress Report.com
August 12, 2008
Dan Walters:
California's House Delegation Could Shrink
Sacramento Bee
August 11, 2008
Proposition 11 Has 2 Giant Loop-Holes In
It---And More!
Fox & Hounds Daily.com
August 11th, 2008
Opinion: Would Prop. 11 help minorities?
Los Angeles Times
July 27, 2008
Editorial: Redistricting Threatens
Incumbents
North County Times, Escondido
July 24, 2008
Cavala: California Voters’ Initial
‘Take’ On Redistricting Scheme Presages Its Defeat
CaliforniaProgressReport.com
July 22, 2008
Pelosi Reveals Herself And Makes Case For
Redistricting, Unintentionally
NewAmerica.net
July 18, 2008
Opinion: Proposition 11 Levels The
Redistricting Playing Field
San Jose Mercury
July 16, 2008
House Dems Oppose Calif. Redistricting
Measure
San Francisco Chronicle
July 16, 2008
Cavala: Could Redistricting ‘Reform’
Make California Competitive For John McCain? (No)
CaliforniaProgressReport.com
July 16, 2008
SEIU May Come Out In Favor of Voters’
First
RoseReport.org
July 11, 2008
Nunez Gets $600,000 From Dems’
Redistricting Fund
CapitolWeekly.net
July 10, 2008
Big Money Needed To Redraw Districts
The Sun, San Bernadino and the Inland Empire
July 9, 2008
Commentary: The Initiative Road To Terminal
Government Gridlock
Sacramento Bee
July 8, 2008
Remap Proposal Worries Civil Rights Groups
Contra Costa Times, Sacramento Bureau
July 8, 2008
Our View: Perata Won't Fool Us Again
Merced Sun-Star
July 7, 2008
Daniel Weintraub: Voters Beware -
Politicians Will Lie To Kill Proposition 11
Sacramento Bee
July 2, 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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California Redistricting Plan Faces Hurdles
By Anthony York, Editor
Capital Weekly
May 7, 2008
There is no more overtly political act than the drawing of political
districts. Fortunes can rise and fall on the turn of a mapmaker’s
pen. A redraw of state lines in Texas sent the state’s legislative
Democrats into hiding across state lines. The late Democratic Rep.
Phil Burton of San Francisco called his 1981 redraw of
California’s congressional districts his contribution to modern
art.
For decades, there have been efforts to take this power away from
legislators. In California alone, five redistricting measures have
been on the ballot over the past two decades. All have failed.
The latest attempt to take redistricting out of the hands of
lawmakers was a ballot initiative sponsored by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger in 2005. That measure was squarely defeated after
congressional Democrats, led by then-House Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi, raised millions to knock back the measure.
Now Schwarzenegger is back with another redistricting initiative for
the November ballot.
The new proposal, which is co-sponsored by good government groups
such as California Common Cause and the League of Women Voters,
would turn the job of drawing legislative districts over to an
independent commission. Legislators would still be in charge of
drawing districts for members of Congress.
The California Legislature is strongly Democratic, so, presumably,
Democrats in Sacramento would help protect the interests of
congressional Democrats. But there have been rivalries in the past
between legislators and members of Congress who occupy the seats
they covet. And advocates of the Schwarzenegger-backed proposal say
that while the plan is not perfect, it eliminates the most egregious
conflicts of interest: allowing legislators to draw their own
district lines.
“Voters rejected a redistricting initiative in 2005,” said
Kathay Feng, director of California Common Cause. “This is our
last chance to change the process before the next round happens. We
made a very conscious decision not to bite off more than we can
chew.”
It’s not difficult to see why many incumbents are concerned about
setting any objective standards that would apply to drawing
legislative and congressional districts. Members would prefer to
keep redistricting an inside game among professional politicians.
During the post-2000 redistricting, California Democrats and
Republicans agreed to a map that locked incumbents into friendly
turf. Only one sitting House member has been defeated in a general
election since then: GOP Rep. Richard Pombo in 2006.
And many sitting members of Congress face political peril if the
redistricting rules are changed. Among them are congressional lions
in both parties. Democratic Rep. Howard Berman’s San Fernando
Valley district has become increasingly Latino, and either Berman or
Los Angeles Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman could see their seat
disappear in a redraw.
On the Republican side, Rep. David Dreier has fended off increasing
Democratic registration in his district over the past several years
and faces an unsure political future when his Southern California
district lines are changed.
Feng says the lack of protection for incumbents is perhaps the most
important change under her group’s proposal.
“Several experts said after the 2000 redraw that congressional
Democrats should have picked up three to five seats,” she said.
“This last redistricting was about defending a particular power
base that eventually elected Nancy Pelosi speaker.”
While backers of the new measure have gone out of their way to
appease Pelosi in crafting their new redistricting plan, it may not
be enough.
“When we do take it up, the position most likely will be no,”
said Bob Mulholland, spokesman for the California Democratic Party.
“The very principles of the Democratic Party are fairness to
minority groups, and this Schwarzenegger measure does not pass that
test.”
Democratic political consultant Bill Cavala, an expert on
redistricting issues, said he is urging Democrats in Sacramento and
Washington to oppose the new proposal.
“This plan would hurt Democrats. My presumption is that they will
oppose it,” Cavala said. “This could lead to a result that would
have the Republicans taking over the state Assembly. I think
electing Republicans is bad. Anything that helps them is bad. Any
Democrat who would sacrifice Democratic seats to help the Republican
Party is stupid.”
Though this measure does not directly affect the congressional
mapping process, it does set up new criteria legislators must abide
by in drawing districts for federal office. That alone may be enough
for Pelosi and Co. to oppose the measure. And, of course, if
Cavala’s nightmare scenario comes true and Republicans do take
control of the California Legislature, it would greatly impact the
Golden State’s congressional delegation.
Pelosi did not return calls seeking comment.
But Mulholland said he expects the House speaker to oppose the
measure.
“The reality is, if Schwarzenegger and [presumptive Republican
presidential nominee John] McCain win this, they’ll be back with a
congressional measure. This is getting the nose of the camel in the
tent. It’s about attacking Democrats and minorities.”
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez announced his opposition to the
Schwarzenegger plan this week, unveiling a proposal of his own that
would maintain more legislative control over the entire
redistricting process.
Nunez said he opposes Schwarzenegger’s plan for the impact it
could have on Latino and African-American representation.
Feng dismissed Nunez’s proposal, and his objections to the
Schwarzenegger plan, as disingenuous.
“The speaker has a few bills languishing in [the Assembly] that
have never seen the light of day,” she said. “It’s hard for us
to put our hopes in his promises.”
Feng said the plan backed by her organization would ensure minority
districts stay intact. But she understands why the speaker may have
problems with the new rules.
“There is a big difference between the interests of Latino
incumbents and the Latino community,” she said. “Sometimes they
coincide, sometimes they don’t. Incumbents want to hold on to what
they’ve got, regardless of the direction the community is moving
in.”
Anthony York is the editor of Capitol Weekly, a newspaper on
California politics and government.
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