This one’s a two-for-one deal: The Contra Costa Times has an article about Common Cause criticizing State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata for organizing opposition to the Voters First Initiative. Professor Pitney is also quoted in the article. Perata, who will leave the state Senate because of term-limit rules at the end of the… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Redistricting
California Democratic Leaders Pressure Redistricting Supporters
The Contra Costa Times recently ran an article about California Democratic leaders putting pressure on Democrats who are supporting the Voters First Initiative to toe the party line. There has been an “attempt to bring everybody into line” now that the state party has come out against the redistricting measure, said Kathay Feng, the measure’s… Continue Reading
Pennsylvania State Rep. Jake Wheatley Criticizes State Redistricting Reform Bill
In a recent opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jake Wheatley, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, criticized the redistricting reform brewing in the Pennsylvania legislature. He takes issue with the lack of concern for the racial makeup of the Pennsylvania’s elected officials. I am deeply concerned with the impact such legislation would have… Continue Reading
Santa Cruz Sentinel Joins Rank of Papers Endorsing Voters First Initiative
In a recent editorial, the Santa Cruz Sentinel endorsed the Voters First Initiative. The paper becomes one of a bunch of papers statewide that have endorsed the initiative including the San Jose Mercury News, Fresno Bee, the Torrance Daily Breeze, San Diego Union Tribune, LA Daily News, North County Times, Stockton Record, San Gabriel Valley… Continue Reading
Democrat Steve Chessin on Redistricting
Steve Chessin, a member of the California Democratic Party Executive Board has a piece at the California Progress Report supporting the Voters First Initiative. While acknowledging that Voters First may not deliver all it promises, he supports the reform effort: Experience with redistricting reform in other states shows that it doesn’t change much. A few… Continue Reading
Taxpayer Advocate Believes Flaws Exist in “Voters First!”
PolitikerCa.Com ran an article mentioning that Ted Costa, CEO of People’s Advocate, a government watchdog organization, finds that the “Voters First!” initiative has flaws that make it not as effective as claimed. He believes that the initiative would have to be amended in the future to reach its full potential. Costa said he’s concerned about… Continue Reading
California Part of “Dirty Dozen” on Redistricting
According to George Skelton of the Los Angeles Times, the Democratic Leadership Council has named California as being among twelve states whose gerrymandering of elections has suppressed voter turnout. The Democratic Leadership Council came to fame around the time Bill Clinton was running for office as an organization of moderate democrats promoting “the third way”… Continue Reading
California Redistricting Initiative Certified for Ballot
The Sacramento Bee reports that the Voter’s First Initiative was certified as having the requisite number of verified signatures. The measure, written by California Common Cause, would strip the Legislature of the power to draw state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts, which occurs after the census every 10 years. That power would shift… Continue Reading
Pennsylvania Redistricting Bill Makes it Out of Senate Committee
The York Daily Record reports that the redistricting bill currently being hashed out in the Pennsylvania Senate and Assembly was voted out of its Senate committee to the full Senate. It will not mean much, however, unless the comparable bill in the Assembly is not held in committee. One Senator pointed out that the bill… Continue Reading
“Voters First!” Democratic Supporters and Detractors
An interesting situation is developing as more Democrats and Democratic leaning organizations establish their opinion on the California Redistricting Reform Initiative known as the “Voters First!” initiative. While the Democratic Party of California came out against it, prominent Democrats including Gray Davis, Bill Bogaard (Mayor of of Pasadena), Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick, as… Continue Reading