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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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Labor Says No To Schwarzenegger/Republican/Common
Cause Redistricting Measure
The California Majority Report.com
By Steven Maviglio
April 02, 2008
Calling it a "fatally flawed initiative that does not
accurately reflect the state's partisan diversity and similarly
prejudices minorities and Democrats registration by using a biased
ranking system that ensures an increased number of Republican
legislative seats," the State's Building and Construction
Trades Council unanimously has voted to defeat the Schwarzenegger/Republican/Common
Cause "Voters First" redistricting initiative.
Labor's vote is seemingly a warning shot to any Democrats that may
be lured to endorse the initiative by good government groups. The
signature gathering, as noted here, has been financed nearly
exclusively by large Republican donors and Republican business
groups.
Here's the resolution:
While the California redistricting process is in need of reform, the
“California First” initiative is a fatally flawed initiative
that does not accurately reflect the state’s partisan diversity
and similarly prejudices minorities and Democrats registration by
using a biased ranking system that ensures an increased number of
Republican legislative seats. Additionally, the complicated
method for choosing members of the newly created Citizen’s
Redistricting Commission further confuses this already complicated
process.
WHEREAS the redistricting initiative’s criteria could directly
affect compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which protects
under-represented and minority groups from discrimination in the
electoral process; and
WHEREAS this initiative would increase the difficulty of organizing
and coordinating public hearings, particularly in the low-income,
working-class communities; and
WHEREAS the initiative would create a confusing process for
appointing commission members that would not ensure accountability,
diversity, or expertise; and
WHEREAS this initiative would create a system that could encourage
impasse, which would automatically send the redistricting plan to
the courts; and
WHEREAS the timeline for the initiative starts much too late, and
will hamper the commissioners’ abilities to come up with good,
practical plans; and
WHEREAS the commission size is only fourteen members, thus causing
worry concerning their ability to fully representing the diversity
of California; and
WHEREAS the provisions placed within the initiative that would try
addressing conflicts of interest would actually discourage
respectable, competent citizens from serving; and
WHEREAS the Commission will have specific seats reserved for members
of specific political parties, with Democrats having an equal number
of seats as Republicans wherein the state’s electorate has 1/3
more Democrats than Republicans; and
WHEREAS a never-before used redistricting criteria of “geographic
compactness” requires that the redistricting map “shall be
drawn” with this standard will further suppress Democratic
performance by consolidating Democratic voters; and now
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the “California First” initiative
will not give the diverse people of California equal voice, and thus
violating its supposed primary mission; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that it will not fairly represent our diverse
state and in fact undermines our diversity, political and ethnic,
and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the State Building and
Construction Trades Council notify all its members and the citizens
of the State of California to urge them to vote no on the California
First initiative.
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