From another “I told you so” editorial, this time from the Visalia Times-Delta: Proposition 93 ought to have been paired with a measure that would set an independent body to draw district boundaries for elections. In 2002, when lawmakers last adjusted district boundaries for the Legislature and Congress to reflect the results of the 2000… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Redistricting
Redistricting Reform in Virginia
Virginia’s State Senate has passed a proposal for a redistricting commission that blends elements of the Arizona, Iowa, and Prop 77 approaches. – The bill would have the State Supreme Court name a pool of 24 retired judges, divided equally among Republicans and Democrats. (Retired judges as commissioners, as in Prop 77) – Legislative Leaders… Continue Reading
Redistricting Roundup: Post Prop. 93
From Tony Quinn’s op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune on the Governor and the failure of Proposition 93: With term-limits reform off the table, Schwarzenegger also can concentrate on redistricting reform. He has endorsed an initiative that would give the mapmaking job to a 14-member commission, which would redraw the state’s legislative districts according to… Continue Reading
Political Video Games?
Interesting post on politics and video games (including the Redistricting Game) by Paul Waelchli at the Research Quest blog. Continue Reading
93 and Redistricting
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin has an interesting analysis: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and reform groups should now turn their attention to a real reform: removing the power of legislators to draw district boundaries ensuring their own re-election. Under an initiative that may be headed for the November ballot, that authority would be given to an… Continue Reading
Nunez Takes Responsibility for 93
From Samantha Young’s AP Report in the San Jose Mercury News: “In hindsight, I can tell you I would have done a lot of things differently,” an unusually subdued Nunez told reporters during a rare news conference on the Assembly floor. He said he planned to take a hiatus from politics once he leaves office… Continue Reading
Prop. 93’s Loss & Redistricting: Fall Out
From George Skelton’s column in the Los Angeles Times: Their original lofty strategy was a winner: Team the term limits measure with redistricting reform that stripped legislators of the power to draw their own districts, an indefensible conflict of interest. Meanwhile, chalk up some significant achievements in 2007: reform healthcare, upgrade waterworks, pass an honestly… Continue Reading
First Round of 93’s Loss & Redistricting Mentions
A Sacramento Bee editorial says: Whether Proposition 93 ends up a winner or loser, it will mark a missed opportunity. Had legislative leaders coupled this measure with redistricting reform, they might have convinced many more voters to support a change in term limits. Instead, they backpedaled on promises and became obsessed with a measure that… Continue Reading
Minority Redistricting Battles
Richard E. Cohen’s article in the National Journal mentions some demographic tensions that are on the increase nationwide, but especially in the greater Los Angeles area: A usually unspoken aspect of the Democratic campaign’s dynamic, especially in urban areas, is the tension between African-American and Hispanic voters. So-called black-versus-brown conflicts have been especially pronounced in… Continue Reading
Dr. Pitney on Proposition 93
From Tom Chorneau’s San Francisco Chronicle article on the recent Field Poll revealing that Prop. 93 is losing support: Political experts said that as voters became more aware of the measure and its implications, the less they liked it.”They smelled a rat,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of government and politics at Claremont McKenna College.… Continue Reading