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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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Term Limits Drive Is Divided
By Jim Sanders - Bee Capitol Bureau
Sacramento Bee
September 17, 2007
Fractures are developing in a campaign to alter legislative term
limits that began with dreams of a Republican governor teaming with
Democratic lawmakers, business with labor, and incumbent lawmakers
with watchdog groups.
Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was stung last week when lawmakers ended this
year's regular session without placing a separate redistricting
measure on the Feb. 5 ballot, a condition he had set for possibly
throwing his weight behind altering terms.
Schwarzenegger
will not support the term limits initiative and might even oppose it
unless the Legislature reconsiders redistricting -- and he's not
alone, said Adam Mendelsohn, the governor's communications director.
"I
think that everyone would agree that from a strategic standpoint,
the best way to pass term limits is to get redistricting on (the
ballot) with it," Mendelsohn said.
Business
groups say their support for the term limits measure now is far from
certain.
Michael
Shaw, of the National Federation of Independent Business, said no
vote has been taken but he is not optimistic.
"I
think it's fair to say, at this point, that our members are not
interested in extending the term limits of the current Legislature
unless they can be assured that the next Legislature is going to be
more responsive to their needs," Shaw said.
Richard
Stapler, spokesman for backers of the term limits initiative, said
their campaign is based on developing a strong coalition of backers
rather than living or dying on Schwarzenegger's endorsement or that
of any organization.
"I
wouldn't want to speculate too much on what the governor will or
won't do," he said. "But we feel good about our
campaign."
Stapler
said support for the term limits measure did not plummet when
lawmakers left Sacramento last week with no deal on redistricting.
"I
don't see any change in momentum," he said.
Term
limits and redistricting are not directly related, but both affect
the composition of the 80-member Assembly and 40-member Senate.
The
term limits initiative seeks to alter the number of years that
legislators can serve, while backers of a redistricting measure want
to strip the Legislature of authority to draw political districts
and give it to an independent commission.
Redistricting,
which occurs once every 10 years, strikes at the heart of partisan
politics because it can tilt the balance of power in communities
where races are hotly contested.
By
law, the Legislature has until Sept. 27 to place a redistricting
overhaul on the Feb. 5 ballot -- and Secretary of State Debra Bowen
has the authority to extend the date a little further.
But
the issue is dead unless lawmakers are called back to Sacramento by
legislative leaders, which is a long shot, all sides agree, because
Republicans and Democrats have been negotiating on redistricting for
more than three years and have been unable to reach consensus.
Stapler
said voters are not demanding a February ballot pairing.
"We
look at them as two completely separate issues that need to be
debated in their own arenas," Stapler said.
Nearly
six of every 10 California voters are inclined to support the term
limits initiative, according to a Field Poll released last month.
Vast
disparities also exist in campaign fundraising.
More
than $2.7 million has been collected by the term limits initiative
campaign, which is backed strongly by labor unions, health care
groups, Indian tribes and other interest groups that appear often
before the Legislature.
By
comparison, the campaign to defeat the initiative has attracted only
about $150,000, all from Term Limits America, which advocates
nationwide for ceilings on legislative service.
California
law currently allows legislators to serve no more than eight years
in the Senate and six in the Assembly.
The
new initiative would reduce legislative service to 12 years, rather
than 14, and allow all to be served in one house or a combination of
both.
Opponents
claim the measure is misleading, however, because it contains a
provision allowing sitting legislators at least one extra term in
their current seat.
Assembly
Speaker Fabian Núñez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata could
remain in their leadership posts an extra six years and four years,
respectively. Both are scheduled to be termed out next year.
Kathay
Feng, director of California Common Cause, said failure to put
redistricting on the ballot definitely would have repercussions.
"We
have concerns about the term limits measure, and we've said that we
would accept it only if it's paired with a good redistricting
plan," she said.
Dan
Schnur, who has helped lead the push for redistricting, said he has
not given up hope for a last-minute ballot measure.
"There's
no way in the world that a term limits initiative can pass without
redistricting on the ballot," he said.
Allan
Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, said the
group has not voted on whether to endorse changing term limits as a
stand-alone issue.
Redistricting
is a priority, but passage of the term limits measure conceivably
could help stabilize the Legislature by allowing freshmen to
concentrate on public policy rather than plan their next career
move, he said.
"I
don't think there's any question that had the package included
redistricting, it would have dealt with solving more problems in the
political process," Zaremberg said. "But that doesn't mean
term limits can't stand on its own."
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