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2008
Prop. 11 Gets Big GOP Money Push
Sacramento Bee
November 03, 2008
Legislature's Balance Of Power May Shift
Sacramento Bee
November 01, 2008
Editorial: Foes Distorting Proposition 11
Sacramento Bee
October 30, 2008
Think Tank Debunks Idea That Prop. 11
Would Hurt Minority Communities
Los Angeles Times
October 30, 2008
Ad Watch: Prop. 11 TV Spot Focuses On
Tossing Lawmakers
sacbee.com
October 29, 2008
Minority Groups Fear Loss Of Power
Sacramento Bee
October 25, 2008
Better Lines, Better Representation
Sacramento Union
October 24, 2008
No On 11 Campaign Accused Of Double Speak
sacbee.com
October 23, 2008
2008 Ballot Watch: Proposition 11:
Redistricting
Sacramento Bee
October 23, 2008
Ad Watch: Foes Paint Prop. 11 As Too
Complex
Sacramento Bee
October 21, 2008
Community Legal Organizations Voice
Opposition To Redistricting Proposal
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
October 20, 2008
Schwarzenegger Takes In A Pair Of
GOP-Sponsored Fundraisers
Contra Costa Times
October 20, 2008
Proposition 11: Supporters
See Redistricting As End To Gridlock
Ventura County Star
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Independent Journal Urges 'Yes' Vote On
Redistricting Measure
Marin Independent Journal
October 17, 2008
Ad Watch: Prop. 11 Backers Hammer At
'Politicians' As Foes
Sacramento Bee
October 15, 2008
Proposition 11 Leaves Congress Out Of The
Argument
Sacramento Bee
October 14, 2008
Redistricting Isn't To Blame For
Partisanship
San Francisco Chronicle
October 12, 2008
Governor Tries Again With Redistricting
Bid
San Diego Union Tribune
October 10, 2008
Editorial: Proposition 11: A Vote For
Change
Sacramento Bee
October 10, 2008
Editorials - Endorsements '08: Say 'No' To
All Propositions Except 11
Sacramento Bee
October 9, 2008
Opinion: Bad Districts Yield Bad Budgets
San Francisco Chronicle
October 5, 2008
The Conversation: Getting Districts Right
Is A First Step Toward Reform
Sacramento Bee
October 5, 2008
Prop. 11 Calls For Redistricting Overhaul
San Francisco Chronicle
September 29, 2008
Will State Budget Delay Boost Redistricting
Initiative?
Sacramento Bee
September 29, 2008
GOP Votes Not To Back Redistricting
Fresno Bee
September 28, 2008
Budget Signed, Schwarzenegger Sets Sights
On Redistricting, Other Changes
Sacramento Bee
September 24, 2008
Schrag: Redistricting Reform - Just Get It
Over With
Sacramento Bee
September 11, 2008
Public Policy Institute of California
Argues 2001 Redistricting Did Not Make Legislators More Partisan
RoseReport.org
September 10, 2008
The Governor, The Money And Prop. 11
San Francisco Chronicle
September 4, 2008
Editorial: Throw California's Legislature
Out If It Can't Get The Job Done
Fresno Bee
September 1, 2008
CCPOA Gives $250,000 To Defeat Prop. 11
Sacramento Bee
August 29, 2008
Prop. 11 Backers File Complaint Against
Perata, Prison Guards Union
Sacramento Bee
August 29, 2008
Gerrymandering A Key Culprit In California
Budget Mess
Los Angeles Times
August 28, 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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Think Tank Debunks Idea That Prop. 11 Would Hurt
Minority Communities
by George Skelton, Capitol Journal
Los Angeles Times
October 30, 2008
Reporting from Sacramento — The only argument of substance being
raised against Proposition 11 is that taking legislative
redistricting away from self-serving legislators would hurt minority
communities. But now a nonpartisan think tank debunks that notion.
Prop. 11 would strip away the Legislature's power to draw its own
districts and turn over the once-a-decade chore to a 14-member
independent citizens commission. Its only goal would be to draw
sensible, logical districts -- rather than to protect incumbent
lawmakers.
Some civil rights groups point out there's no guarantee in Prop. 11
that the commission would reflect California's racial and ethnic
diversity. And it contends this could jeopardize the interests of
minority voters when district lines are drawn.
The Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies looked into
that argument and concluded that "the independent commission is
likely to be more ethnically diverse than the Legislature's
redistricting committees." More later on that.
First, I'll just say that all the other anti-11 arguments are
flimflam and political sham.
(Full disclosure: My daughter works for a firm that is handling some
of the Prop. 11 campaign.)
A Republican power grab? Prop. 11 is sponsored by a coalition of
nonpartisan good government groups: Common Cause, AARP, the League
of Women Voters, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce,
California Forward.
Democratic state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, through an aide, also came
out publicly for the measure Wednesday. Lockyer is a former state
Senate leader.
"Allowing the Legislature to set its own district boundaries
presents an untenable conflict of interest and on that principle he
supports Prop. 11," said Lockyer's spokesman, Tom Dresslar.
"He would never support a reapportionment reform that resulted
in a power grab by any political party or that presented a danger of
reduced minority representation."
A power grab by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger? It's the opposite. The
governor has contributed nearly $3 million and campaigned hard for
Prop. 11. But under the measure, governors would lose their
redistricting veto power.
The real power play is by Democratic legislative and party leaders
who oppose Prop. 11 because they're desperately trying to maintain
control of redistricting.
"There's a fear of giving up power," says former Assembly
Speaker Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys, another Democrat who supports
Prop. 11. "Give it up and you never get it back."
Prop. 11 opponents also charge that it is "too confusing."
Well, almost everything is in Sacramento.
I'd have preferred something less complicated. But virtually
anything would be better than the current system of legislators
choosing their own voters.
Under the proposal, any frequent voter could apply to be a
redistricting commissioner -- as long as the person had no political
connections. Prop. 11 drafters really wanted to ensure that
commissioners had no partisan agendas.
An applicant, in the last 10 years, could not have run for or held
federal or state office, or been a paid political consultant,
legislative staffer or lobbyist, or contributed more than $2,000 to
a candidate in any year. Moreover, for five years afterward, an
ex-commissioner could not hold office, be a lobbyist or legislative
staffer.
Three randomly selected state auditors would select the 60 most
qualified applicants, divided into equal subgroups of Democrats,
Republicans and "others." The four legislative leaders
could strike six each. That would leave 36. The auditors would
randomly select eight commissioners: three Democrats, three
Republicans, two "others." And those eight would select
the final six, two from each subgroup.
The commission's final makeup would be five Democrats, five
Republicans, four "others." Approving a redistricting plan
would require a supermajority vote: nine, including three Democrats,
three Republicans and three "others."
Yeah, that's pretty Rube Goldberg. But the current process is
utterly shameful.
In 2001, both parties conspired to gerrymander the districts to
protect the political status quo. Since then, only four seats have
changed parties in 495 legislative and congressional races.
Ironically, Democrats lost three legislative seats.
So there are very few competitive general elections in which
lawmakers are held accountable to the voters. If there's a fight,
it's in the party primary. The winner usually is the most right-wing
Republican or left-wing Democrat, resulting in more polarization in
Sacramento. There'll always be party partisanship, but the Capitol
could use less ideological polarization and more pragmatism.
Civil rights groups contend, however, that minority communities
could get the short end.
"There's no mechanism to guarantee that the commission will
reflect California's diversity," says Nancy Ramirez, western
regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Educational Fund. "And just because the legislative committees
haven't been diverse in the past doesn't mean it's OK."
Kathay Feng, state president of Common Cause, disputes that. She
points to Prop. 11 language that requires the state auditor to
select "voters in a manner that promotes a diverse and
qualified applicant pool." The final selectees must be
"chosen to ensure the commission reflects this state's
diversity, including . . . racial, ethnic, geographic and
gender."
"Short of quotas, which are illegal, we couldn't put in
stronger requirements," Feng says.
The think tank report agrees that the ballot measure contains
"criteria to ensure that the independent redistricting
commission reflects the state's diversity."
Minority communities wouldn't be any worse off than they have been
with their Democratic pals drawing the lines.
They'd probably be better off. Everybody would, except those
politicians currently allowed to abuse their power.
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