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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
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
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Use Prop. 93 To Say `No'
Dailybreeze.com
January 3, 2008
Don't reward legislators for reneging on redistricting.
Two of the termed-out politicians chiefly responsible for the
fiscal 911 call California made recently in hopes of rescuing its
drowning budget want a chance to stay in office six years longer
than voters intended.
With the state facing a $14 billion budget deficit, Assembly
Speaker Fabian N ez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata picked
the Feb. 5 election to ask voters to dilute the nation's strongest
term-limit laws so that voters can - you guessed it - keep them in
office.
Great timing. The state's key services - education, health care,
roads, schools and prisons - are in disarray. Nunez is talking about
tax hikes. And the meaningful restrictions on spending proposed by
the governor when he first took office were squashed by those really
running the state, the public employee unions.
Proposition 93 would reward failure by allowing legislators to
stay in a single office for 12 years. The officials would have to
win an "election," but that doesn't mean much because
incumbents of both parties are all but unbeatable in California's
safe districts, which were drawn to favor both Republicans and
Democrats alike.
Credible challengers from incumbents' parties rarely run, and the
opposing parties never have a chance because of lopsided voter
registration in districts that look like something out of a
Rorschach test.
Proposition 93 would be a bit more bearable if it included the
redistricting plans sought by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long
Beach, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Their idea was to give legislators a chance for longer terms in
exchange for competitive districts. But the concept of fair
elections scared off too many politicians whose ambitions were to
keep their own jobs rather than create a truly democratic system.
Proposition 93 would also be slightly better if it took effect
after the current crop of legislators left office. Instead, Perata,
Nunez and others whose terms are up could run in 2008 without a
break in service.
Proposition 93 is destined to fail. Politicians always
underestimate how much Californians like term limits. Voters passed
Proposition 140 in 1990 so that officials could serve three two-year
terms in the Assembly and two four-year terms in the state Senate.
Proposition 93 supporters will tell you that the initiative
actually shortens how long a politician can serve from 14 years to
12 years - and that's true.
But under the old system, politicians must run for another
chamber in the Legislature. Under Proposition 93, most will choose
to keep their cozy chairs for 12 years rather taking a risk or
upsetting an ally and running for another office.
Voters should preserve the good work they did in 1990 by voting
no on Proposition 93 on Feb. 5.
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