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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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California's Voters Will Get
Another Chance To Reform Political Boundary Drawing
By Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez
San Jose Mercury News
September 18, 2007
Recent hand-wringing over the fate of redistricting reform reminds
me of some other premature death declarations: Mark Twain's
"the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" - the
backward Beatles "Paul is dead" - Monty Python's plucky
plague victim trying his hardest to stay off the cart.
The truth is that redistricting reform is alive and well - and
getting better - and with hard work and cooperation, will make the
ballot in 2008. Am I disappointed there wasn't enough time in the
recently completed session to build sufficient consensus to get my
reform plan on the February ballot? Of course. Would I have been
geared up to go if the governor had called a special session on
redistricting? Absolutely. But those setbacks don't mean it's time
to give up.
For almost two years, since voters rejected the governor's
special election redistricting proposal, I have been working with
other legislative leaders to find the right formula for change to
end the current redistricting process with its inherent conflict of
interest.
After months of negotiation and compromise, I believe that
formula is at hand.
Under my plan, district lines would be drawn by 17 redistricting
commissioners. None could be current or recent candidates for the
Senate or Assembly, Congress or the Board of Equalization, relatives
of candidates for, or high-level employees of, those bodies,
registered lobbyists or state political party officers.
Nine commissioners would be chosen in the following manner: A
group of 10 sitting and retired judges would nominate 45 proposed
members. The governor could then reject up to six nominees before
choosing at random from the remaining nominees three Democrats,
three Republicans and three individuals who are not affiliated with
the major parties. The other eight members of the commission would
include four Republicans and four Democrats to be chosen by the
legislative leaders in both houses and on both sides of the aisle.
The commission members would then draw new district boundaries with
information obtained from the 2010 census. The new boundary maps
would require final approval by two-thirds of the commissioners.
This proposal honors the key principles that any true
redistricting reform proposal must address: it ensures a fair, legal
and responsible redistricting plan; it tackles key concerns voters
have expressed in rejecting past redistricting initiatives by
ensuring that redistricting is only done once per decade after the
census has been completed (which thwarts potential power grabs by
either of the political parties); it helps ensure that the
commission will reflect the state's diversity and that new electoral
boundaries will meet the considerations of the Voting Rights Act,
communities of interest, and dozens of other specific legal
requirements.
In interest of full disclosure, this isn't the first
redistricting reform proposal I've made. My previous proposal would
have taken redistricting power away from the Legislature and put it
in the hands of the respected Little Hoover Commission. The feedback
I received on that proposal was generally favorable in terms of
honoring my commitment to change the system, but did include
concerns about the ultimate independence of the commission. That
feedback spurred the innovative compromise proposal now before us.
Similarly, the feedback I have been receiving on this plan will help
shape and improve the final product voters see on their ballot.
While the deadline has passed for that to be on the Feb. 5
ballot, there are still two other elections in 2008 - the June
primary and the November general election. Either of these would
still be in plenty of time for redistricting that wouldn't even
occur until 2012.
California voters have said "no" nine times to
different attempts to change the way legislative and congressional
districts are drawn. In 2008 we can finally give them something to
say "yes" to. And any grumblings to the contrary are,
well, greatly exaggerated.
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