Redistricting Roundup: Voters FIRST Initiative

The Term - inator (Dan Carino, Capitol Weekly)

Dan Carino, Capitol Weekly

Capitol Weekly is also running an article by state senator Alan Lowenthal:

We don’t really need a multimillion-dollar signature-gathering drive to put redistricting reform on the November ballot, as the governor and advocates have promised to do. All we need to do is pass a bill out of the Assembly that has already received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate. The Assembly could have this bill on the governor’s desk within a week of resuming session in 2008.

The San Francisco Chron asks readers to tell Governor Schwarzenegger they want redistricting reform that includes Congressional seats.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel says:

We hope this time it works, because if ever a political situation in California cried out for change, it is this one.

The San Diego U-T (via the San Jose Mercury News) says:

The measure is imperfect. The selection process for the panel is needlessly complex. It is also unfortunate that congressional districts were excluded for fear of rankling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the veteran San Francisco Democrat. Still, the measure would likely revive a near-extinct group in Sacramento: pragmatic centrists.

Lastly, check this out: Google News now allows comments from participants in news stories, and Executive Director of California Common Cause, Kathay Feng, takes full advantage here, in what amounts to an amazingly substantive and candid op-ed offering “three reasons to pursue reform.” A snippet:

I was shocked when a Democratic legislator called me to scream, “You will NOT put another f**** Asian in my district!”

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