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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
more
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A Lost Chance To Reform Redistricting
By George Skelton, Capitol Journal
Los Angeles Times
September 17, 2007
SACRAMENTO — Could have fooled me, and did. Was I ever gullible.
It really did seem like legislative leaders would honor their word
and surrender the power to draw their own districts, a direct
conflict of interest.
How much of a conflict? They've been rigging the elections by
choosing their own voters. Gerrymandering, it's called, too often
with a dismissive shrug that says, /politicians will be politicians.
/In the last three election cycles, only four seats have changed
parties in 495 California legislative and congressional races.
But last week, for the second straight year, redistricting reform
died quietly on the final day of the legislative session.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shares the blame. I actually thought he'd
insist that the Legislature hand over redistricting to an
independent commission. Figured he'd play tough. Make Democratic
leaders an "offer." Call them into his corner office in
the Capitol, stare them down and say something like:
/Look, I'll endorse and campaign for your term limits ballot measure
-- or I'll oppose it and raise money to beat the thing. Your call.
But without redistricting reform, you people don't deserve a break
on term limits./
The governor implied it, but apparently never held the gun to the
temple.
And when time ran out on the regular legislative session, he called
new "special" sessions for healthcare and water, but not
for redistricting. Why? Senate leader Don Perata (D-Oakland) didn't
have "much interest," Schwarzenegger said.
Indeed, Perata had just told reporters that if the governor did call
a special session for redistricting, "I'm not going to take it
up. There's an urgency in healthcare. There's an urgency in water.
There is not an urgency in redistricting."
So Perata wasn't much interested. So what? The Democratic leader
doesn't hold many of the Republican governor's interests. But it
shouldn't stop the governor from pursuing his priorities --
especially one like redistricting that he claims to "feel very
passionate about."
"The person who didn't do their job was the governor,"
says Republican Sen. Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield, author of a combo
constitutional amendment that would reform redistricting and relax
term limits. "This was Arnold Schwarzenegger's moment and he
ran from it."
Then, referring to the name Schwarzenegger once called Democratic
legislators, Ashburn added: "Maybe the governor has proven
himself to be the ultimate 'girlie man.' "
Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), author of another redistricting
measure, says: "I'm critical of everyone. It doesn't seem to me
that at the end of the day anyone wanted to stand up and fight for
this. The leadership didn't want to see it happen.
"It was a complete, abject failure of the Legislature to do
what it committed to the public it would do."
Let's back up and recall the precise promise.
In 2005, Schwarzenegger was backing a goofy redistricting proposal
on his special election ballot. It would have forced a mid-decade
redistricting, rather than waiting for the customary next census.
Worse, it would have required any redistricting to be approved by a
statewide vote, a political consultants' bonanza.
If voters would reject the governor's ballot proposition, Perata
told me, "Our commitment. . . is to fashion a bipartisan
solution in a thoughtful way and put it on the ballot next
year." Ditto, said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los
Angeles).
The Schwarzenegger measure was soundly rejected by nearly 60% of
voters.
Then the Democratic leaders didn't deliver.
Schwarzenegger, Perata and Nuñez last week suggested that maybe
they'd get it done next year and place a redistricting reform
measure on the November 2008 ballot. Has a familiar ring.
Meanwhile, on the Feb. 5 presidential primary ballot, only the term
limits initiative is booked. It would reduce the total years allowed
in the Legislature from 14 to 12, but permit all the time to be
spent in one house. Currently there's a six-year limit in the
Assembly and eight-year cap in the Senate. Without the measure, Nuñez
and Perata will be termed out next year.
The Democratic leaders originally planned to pair term limits with
redistricting as a marketable political reform package. "We
can't put one on the ballot without the other," Nuñez asserted
early last year.
What happened? There are many excuses, but no justification. It
comes down to lack of either commitment or competence.
A lot of fingers are being pointed.
Perata, despite his original heat-of-passion pledge, shudders at the
thought of giving up the gerrymandering power. Yet, he did allow
both the Ashburn and Lowenthal measures to pass the Senate and go to
the Assembly, where they were denied committee hearings for weeks.
Nuñez worked hard on his own plan, but couldn't strike a deal with
Republicans, the distracted governor or what one senior aide calls
the "goody-two-shoes" reform groups.
One hang-up was over whether to allow the Legislature to continue
drawing congressional districts or to make it hand the task to an
independent commission. It was feared that U.S. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi (D-San Francisco) would raise millions to oppose any
redistricting scheme that didn't permit Democratic gerrymandering.
Conversely, GOP leaders insisted that the Democratic-dominated
Legislature keep its hands off House seats.
The solution should have been easy: Strip only legislative
redistricting from the Legislature. It's not a direct conflict
anyway for state lawmakers to draw House seats.
But negotiations apparently never got that far.
Tony Quinn, a former redistricting consultant for Republicans,
thinks this legislative failure kills all chances for reform.
"I don't believe there's any possibility of getting this in the
future," he says. "It had to be tied to term limits.
Democrats had to get something to give up something."
Term limits should be eased. But should they be eased while
lawmakers still have the power to rig their own elections? That's a
question we'll have to mull.
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