Writing in the Capitol Weekly for the League of Women Voters, Janis Hirohama strongly endorses Proposition 11, over the current system, which she describes as dysfunctional: Under the current system, legislators have the power to draw their own districts, thereby allowing the politicians to choose their voters, rather than the other way around. Not surprisingly,… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Redistricting
Opinion Piece in San Francisco Chronicle Suggests Latinos Will Benefit From Proposition 11
John Diaz, editor of the San Francisco Chronicle editorial page has written an opinion piece in support of Proposition 11 that suggests that Latinos would benefit from the initiative. Mr. Diaz, criticizes minority advocacy groups like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund that have suggested that minority representation would be inhibited by proposition… Continue Reading
New Redistricting Reform Advocacy Group
According to a press release shown on the blog Votelaw, a new group named Americans for Redistricting Reform has formed to advocate for reform of the redistricting process. The group is an umbrella organization for various groups involved in the redistricting process including the Brennan Center for Justice, The Campaign Legal Center, the Committee for… Continue Reading
Tony Quinn Argues Proposition 11 Will Help Add Minority Legislators
In an Op-Ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, Tony Quinn, an editor of the California Target Book, makes the argument that the redistricting method under Proposition 11 would do a better job ensuring that there is minority representation in the state legislature than the current method. This is in contrast to arguments previously made… Continue Reading
Center for Governmental Studies Creates Guide to California Redistricting Reform Proposals
The Center for Governmental Studies recently released a guide to the redistricting reform proposals that have been proposed this election year. Their comparison includes Voters First, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 sponsored by former speak Fabian Nunez, the current redistricting law in California, and CGS’s ideal independent redistricting plan. The document provides an excellent overview and… Continue Reading
North County Times Endorses Proposition 11
Recently the North County Times has come out in favor of redistricting reform in California via proposition 11. The paper suggests partisan redistricting is responsible for the budget mess that California has every year. In California, that power now rests with the Legislature, which has used it as a tool to ensure its members’ own… Continue Reading
Pennsylvnia Legislators Create Watered Down Redistricting Plan
According to the Allentown Morning Call, some Pennsylvania state legislators are supporting a compromise plan on redistricting now that the deadline has passed for constitutional reform in the state. The plan’s creators include Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Philadelphia, who has previously been the main obstacle to redistricting reform in the state. The plan would essentially create… Continue Reading
How Redistricting Can Create a Springboard for Presidential Candidates
A little noticed aspect of the controversial article and cover on Obama in the New Yorker, is that Obama benefited from having his Illinois Senate districts tailor-made for him. The article describes in detail the process by which Obama was able to choose his district. One day in the spring of 2001, about a year… Continue Reading
California House Democrats Against Prop 11
According to the Venture County Star and the California Majority Report, the Nancy Pelosi, as well as the Chairs of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus have written a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expressing their opposition to Proposition 11. The delegation criticizes… Continue Reading
President of AARP California Supports of Prop 11
In an opinion piece in the San Jose Mercury News, Jeannine English, president of the AARP of California, argues for the adoption of Proposition 11 in California. The AARP is one of the founding backers of the initiative and the Voters First campaign, of which Jeannine English is a campaign co-chair, so her writing this… Continue Reading