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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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Coalition Pitches
Redistricting Plan
Bipartisan panel, not legislature, would make remap rulings starting
in 2011
By Jim Sanders
Sacramento Bee
October 24, 2007
After three years of lawmakers' failed promises, a coalition of
activist groups filed an initiative Tuesday to strip the Legislature
of authority to draw its own political districts.
Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause, said
the current system creates a conflict of interest.
"Legislators have every incentive to cut communities up in
ways that ensure that they can get re-elected without any
challenge," she said.
Republicans and Democrats struck a deal in 2001 to draw districts
that protected incumbents of both parties. Only one of 53
congressional seats – and none of 120 legislative seats – has
changed party hands in the past two elections.
The initiative filed Tuesday calls for redistricting to be
handled by a 14-member citizens commission of five Democrats, five
Republicans and four independent or minor-party voters.
The panel would draw legislative and Board of Equalization
districts, but not those of Congress, a concession to Democratic
congressional leaders that is likely to inflame opposition.
"It doesn't pass the sanity test," Assembly Republican
leader Mike Villines said of excluding Congress. "I think it's
a mistake."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supports the new initiative by Common
Cause, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and AARP (formerly
American Association of Retired Persons).
Proponents have raised $140,000 thus far, half of it from Project
Democracy. Feng said the group has ties to Kent Thiry of DaVita
Inc., which provides kidney dialysis services.
Feng said she expects to raise about $2 million to collect
between 700,000 and 1 million valid voter signatures.
Legislative leaders have vowed for three years to overhaul the
current system, but each time the effort fizzled.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez continues to support change but
feels it should come from lawmakers, representing communities
statewide, rather than from groups pushing an all-or-nothing
initiative, spokesman Steve Maviglio said.
Villines, Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman and Senate
President Pro Tem Don Perata were not familiar Tuesday with details
of the new proposal.
Voters have killed redistricting proposals five times in the past
25 years, most recently Proposition 77 in 2005.
Feng said the new initiative, unlike past efforts, is not a
partisan power grab.
"It's not driven by any party," she said. "It's
driven by a lot of groups that see a problem that needs to be
fixed."
The 14-member commission proposed by the initiative would draw
new maps every 10 years, beginning in 2011.
Eight commissioners would be chosen randomly from a pool of voter
applicants culled to 60 by a three-member panel of state auditors,
then trimmed to as few as 36 by the Legislature's four leaders, each
of whom could reject up to six candidates.
Once eight commissioners were selected, they would choose six
colleagues from the final pool of applicants. Selections should
complement the panel's skills and diversity.
New maps by the citizens panel could not take effect unless
supported by three Democratic commissioners, three Republicans, and
three from the independent/minor party bloc.
In drawing districts, the commission must consider city or county
boundaries, and communities of interest. Members could not take the
location of an incumbent's home into account.
The California Supreme Court would step in if the commission
could not reach agreement or if its maps were overturned by
referendum.
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