Democrats Break Ranks On Prop. 11

By John Wildermuth
San Francisco Chronicle
August 13, 2008

While Oakland state Sen. Don Perata and other California Democrats are wailing that the Proposition 11 redistricting plan on the November ballot is nothing more than a Republican-backed effort to turn California into a red state, so far they aren't putting their money where their mouths are.

Opponents of the measure have taken in one single reportable donation, a $25,000 check from the state building trades unions. On the other side, backers of the measure, which would take the power to draw the state's political boundaries from the Legislature and give it to a multi-partisan citizens committee, have collected more than $6.6 million for the fall campaign.

The dollars aren't a real concern, at least not yet, said Paul Hefner, a spokesman for the "No on 11" effort and a longtime political aide to Perata.

"At the end of the day, we'll need resources to get our message out and we're confident we'll have them," he said.

With the state party organization lined up against the measure and many of their allies in labor sure to help out, money for the anti-Prop. 11 campaign will likely be there when it's needed. But a look at the early endorsements and contributions for the redistricting change highlights a split in the Democratic Party that might be far worse news than any money gap.

While Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put up nearly $2.5 million to get the measure on the ballot, there are plenty of Democrats on the endorsement list. Former state Treasurer -- and 2006 Democratic candidate for governor -- Steve Westly is co-chair, with Schwarzenegger, of the "Yes on 11" effort, with well-known Democrats like former Gov. Gray Davis, former Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, former Santa Cruz Assemblyman Fred Keeley and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates joining him as supporters.

Some of the Democrats' go-to money people also are breaking ranks over the redistricting measure. John Doerr, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and his wife, Ann, gave $500,000 to the Democratic State Central Committee in 2006, but have given $20,000 to Prop. 11.

Eli Broad, a Los Angeles investor, gave $300,000 to block Davis' recall in 2003, $50,000 to support the Democrats' unsuccessful term limits revision measure this year, $100,000 to the state central committee in 2001 and thousands to other Democratic candidates. He put $25,000 into the Prop. 11 kitty.

Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakopoulos has been a regular Democratic donor, putting millions into his close friend Phil Angelides' 2006 campaign for governor, giving $3.6 million to the state Democratic Party in 2006 and writing checks to other Democrats, including $100,000 to Perata's legal defense fund. But he's on the other side when it comes to redistricting, giving $25,000 to the Prop. 11 effort.

Even Haim Saban, a big-time party donor who gave $100,000 to the Democrat's successful effort to defeat Schwarzenegger's 2005 redistricting measure, has given $100,000 to back Prop. 11.

"Most of the money still comes from the big corporate interests who have backed Schwarzenegger in the past and big Republican givers," argued Hefner, who added that the effort to make Prop. 11 seem bipartisan won't last until November.

But the civic groups backing the measure, such as the AARP, the League of Women Voters and California Common Cause, all have hard-won reputations as non-partisan, good government organizations, which will make it hard for Perata and the Democrats to cast them as the evil tools of President Bush and the great right-wing conspiracy. And every Democratic or non-partisan endorsement Prop. 11's supporters gather between now and Election Day makes the state party's job that much harder.