According to Capital Weekly, the Service Employees International Union may consider backing Proposition 11, despite the decision California Democratic Party to oppose the initiative. The SEIU is one of the most powerful organizations in California politics, and their support or opposition could play a significant role in whether the initiative passes. The fact that SEIU… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Redistricting
A Citizen’s Guide to Redistricting
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, George Mason University, and the Joyce Foundation released a guide to the redistricting process called A Citizen’s Guide to Redistricting. The guide is a comprehensive look at just about every aspects of the redistricting process, with explanations of the various tactics involved and legal requirements.… Continue Reading
Civil Rights Groups Worried About Voters First
According to a recent article in the Contra Costa Times, California civil rights groups believe the Voter First Initiative will reduce minority representation. The groups such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund say that they intend to fight the initiative in order to protect the gains… Continue Reading
More Editorials on Voters First
The Merced Sun-Star and the Mercury News both recently ran editorials supporting the Voters First Initiative. The Mercury News editorial mentions the potential influence of new interest group in the matter: But the group that could really make a difference is the potential big kid on the political block, California Forward. Funded by Hewlett, Packard,… Continue Reading
Michigan Redistricting Reform Initiative Likely to Make Ballot
According to the Associated Press, the initiative developing in Michigan that would reform the state government, including how district lines are drawn, looks like it will get enough signatures to make it to the ballot. A spokeswoman for Reform Michigan Government Now said Tuesday the group expects to turn in more than 380,000 valid voter… Continue Reading
Senator Perata’s Redistricting Hypocrisy
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that California State Senate President Don Perata recently convened a meeting of Sacramento Democratic “insiders” to “hammer out an opposition plan to Proposition 11” also known as the Voters First Initiative. The manufactured justification according to Paul Hefner, a Perata spokesman, is: It’s not fair to have a commission evenly… Continue Reading
Orlando Sentinel Editorial on Florida Redistricting Reform
The Orlando Sentinel recently had an editorial in support of a redistricting reform effort in Florida. As noted in this previous Rose Report post, the proposed changes are short on specifics at this point, but the overall aim is to increase the number of competitive districts. The article brings up the immense disparity between statewide… Continue Reading
Sacramento Bee Account of Redistricting Debate
Fox and Hounds has been hosting a lively debate by three prominent political thinkers in California on redistricting reform. Joe Mathews, a former Los Angeles Times reported and Fellow at the New American Foundation argues that the redistricting reform measure has no possibility of passing. Joel Fox, president of the Small Business Action Committee and… Continue Reading
Former Democratic Speaker and Republican Senate Leader Support Voters First Initiative
In an opinion piece for the Sacramento Bee, Robert M. Hertzberg, Democratic Speaker of the California Assembly from 2000 to 2002, and James L. Brulte, Republican leader of the Senate from 2000 to 2004 and the Assembly from 1992 to 1995, endorsed the Voters First Initiative. In the 2001 redistricting process, we held public hearings… Continue Reading
Editorial and David Broder Opinion Piece on Redistricting
The Houston Chronicle and the Philadelphia Inquirer both recently ran opinion pieces in favor of redistricting reform. The Inquirer’s editorial focuses on the redistricting reform effort in Pennsylvania: As you can imagine, the power to guarantee themselves great jobs means it will be hard to pry this power out of lawmakers’ hands. But they need… Continue Reading