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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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Commentary: Leave 'em alone, they'll do what's
right -- won't they?
By Jim Boren
The Fresno Bee
December 16, 2007
If I had my way, there would be no term limits in the California
Legislature and an independent commission would draw the boundaries
of the state's political districts. But in the real world of
California politics, term limits are here for good and redistricting
reform is a concept that only the naïve think has a chance of
getting passed.
That's too bad, because liberalizing term limits and reforming
the boundary-drawing process would be the two biggest fixes that
would make the California Legislature relevant again.
All term limits have given us are legislators who either can't
make it in the real world or are ideologues who will never get
anything of substance passed because they can't get more than a
handful of wackos to go along with them. The result is gridlock on
the biggest issues facing California and a state budget deficit now
estimated at $14 billion.
Not surprisingly, term limits reform is the one issue that
legislative leaders are pushing. It's not because it's a good idea.
It's to save their own political hides so they can participate in
more unproductive legislative sessions.
A term limits measure is on the Feb. 5 ballot, but it won't pass.
The only rock-solid support it has comes from the legislative family
and the special interests who are renting the current batch of
lawmakers.
This measure represents what's wrong with the Legislature.
Lawmakers went back on their word to couple a change in term limits
with a redistricting reform initiative. Those reforms together had a
chance of approval. But legislators found every excuse not to put a
redistricting measure on the ballot, while backing the one that they
had a personal interest in.
Devil is in the details
Now those who hope to change the redistricting process have
decided to go directly to the voters and get a measure qualified for
the November ballot. It has the support of Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, and that should help get it qualified.
I cheered this effort until I read the details of this initiative
in my favorite newspaper. The measure would create a system so
confusing that voters may never figure out what they are voting for.
That usually means they'll cast a "No" vote if the
redistricting initiative gets on the November ballot.
This measure has other problems. It gives a pass to the state's
congressional delegation, making this a "political
initiative" instead of a "good-government
initiative." Under the proposal, the Legislature would continue
to draw lines for congressional districts.
The sponsors did that so they wouldn't anger House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, who thinks that competitive congressional elections in
California could cause Democrats to lose their small majority in the
House. We sure don't want to upset Pelosi, because the Democrats
have been so productive under her leadership.
This redistricting proposal starts off well. It would create an
independent redistricting commission that has five Democrats, five
Republicans and four independents or members of minority parties.
Then it gets complicated when determining who is on the 14-member
commission. I normally wouldn't go into these details in this
column, but this ham-fisted selection process needs to be explained.
The state auditor would select a three-person auditing group, and
that panel would create a pool of 60 candidates. The candidates
would be screened for several things, including analytical skills
and impartiality. I'm not sure how that would be guaranteed. The
group must have 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans and 20 independents or
those from minor parties. The four legislative leaders would trim
the list to 36. Then eight commissioners would be chosen randomly,
and they would choose the other six commissioners.
There you have it -- an independent redistricting commission.
Even if you accept this convoluted process, it's impossible to
accept a system that cuts out Congress for political reasons.
It's not newspapers' fault
The other day, Assembly Speaker Fabián Núñez was on a panel
discussing what's wrong with California government today. The others
offered insightful commentary, but the speaker blamed the media,
especially those of us who work for print publications.
"Really take a step back and give this institution a bit of
a break," Núñez is quoted as saying. "Because I think
people are coming at us with a hammer these days, and let me finish
by this, especially the print media. And I don't mean this as a
direct criticism, but we know it's been losing a lot of market
share. So what needs to happen in order to sell newspapers is you've
got to tighten up screws."
His message seems to be this: If newspapers didn't write about Núñez's
lavish spending, he wouldn't have done it. If newspapers didn't
write about unproductive legislators, they'd pass health care reform
and solve the state's water-storage problems. If newspapers didn't
slam the Legislature on redistricting reform, it would already be
fixed. If we had a kinder, gentler press watching over the
Legislature, all would be good in political land.
Why didn't I think of that? The goal of every Californian should
be to make the Assembly speaker happy. Now that'll solve the state's
problems.
Jim Boren is The Fresno Bee’s editorial page editor. His column
appears Sundays.
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