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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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Opinion: Seeing The Light
Los Angeles Daily News
April 19, 2008
IT'S amazing how the thought of political mortality can bring
clarity to a veteran politician.
Take California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, who, thanks to
term limits, will be out of office in December. Now, in the twilight
of his Assembly career, Nuñez - a one-time old-guard deal-maker -
has been reborn as a reformer.
With just a few months left in office, Nuñez had reportedly has
pledged to turn his focus to pushing for some of the good-government
initiatives Sacramento has fought or ignored in recent years.
Topping the list is term-limits reform - and no, this is not the
same cynical ploy that he and Senate President Don Perata failed to
get past voters in February.
What Nuñez has in mind this time would double the amount of time
politicians could serve in one house of the Legislature, but - and
this is the key difference - it would not apply to termed-out
politicians looking to extend their stay in office.
Whether this reform has merit or not is open to debate, but at
least it can fairly be called an attempt at reform. That's markedly
different from Proposition 93, which was little more than an attempt
by some political old-timers to hang on to their offices.
Another idea Nuñez is proposing would ban lawmakers from
fundraising during budget talks and whenever critical votes are
being taken. As a reform, the effects of such a prohibition would be
limited - politicians and special interests could still cut deals at
the key moments, then pass checks later. But any effort to rein in
Sacramento's pay-to-play culture is refreshing.
And finally, Nuñez talks about legislative redistricting - that
is, ending the corrupt practice wherein state legislators get to
draw their own districts, thereby assuring their own (and their
parties') perpetual re-election.
Here Nuñez will need some close scrutiny. There have been many
redistricting efforts in Sacramento in recent years, and Nuñez
hasn't always been fully on board. What's more, a strong
redistricting initiative has nearly qualified for the November
ballot, and Nuñez's alternative could turn out to be nothing more
than an attempt to kill it.
Time will tell. But it's encouraging to see the speaker showing
an interest in the subject.
So, to what do we owe this conversion? Why is it only now that Nuñez
seems to have a sense of urgency about such matters?
Chalk it up to politics.
When in office, politicians are often too consumed with the game
- raising money, getting re-elected - to think beyond their own,
narrow self-interests. Perhaps it's only when the game is coming to
an end that they're willing to think about changing the unfair
rules.
And this, curiously, may be one of the strongest arguments
against Nuñez's plan to loosen term limits. If it takes losing
their office to get politicians to focus on the public good, why let
them hold on to those offices any longer?
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