Rose Institute’s Douglas Johnson on Prop 20 and 27

A September 30th article in the Ventura County Reporter quoted the Rose Institute’s Douglas Johnson on Proposition 20, which would expand 2008’s Proposition 11, giving the commission control over federal as well as state legislative districts. The article is titled “State, local politicians draw the line with contradictory propositions” and released on September 30th.

Johnson’s quotes is featured in response to accusations by Prop. 20 opponents that the law would create “Jim Crow” districts, segregating the rich and the poor. Johnson says “that’s a huge red herring…They wanted to not have an open-ended definition of ‘socioeconomic’ — the word ‘income’ never appears in Prop. 20.”

In regards to Proposition 27, the attempt by California’s Congressional Democrats to abolish the independent redistricting commission established by the voters in 2008, the article continues: “‘It abolishes the criteria of Prop. 11,’ said Johnson, who noted that, in the past, the legislature has always ignored that same redistricting rule, which is included in Prop. 11. ‘The legislature has repeatedly ignored it, and there’s no reason to think they won’t ignore it again.'”