Rose Institute Fellow Doug Johnson and Senior Fellow Jack Pitney were quoted in a recent Contra Costa Times article analyzing a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in California. Pitney and Johnson agreed that the initiative, which recently qualified for the state’s November ballot, will generate much attention. Johnson said California’s approval of Proposition 215 legalizing… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Rose Report
Illinois Democrats Unveil New Redistricting Plan
Democratic state senators in Illinois have recently introduced a plan to change the process the state uses to draw its legislative districts. On Wednesday, the plan was passed by the Senate’s redistricting committee. It faces a harder battle in the House, however, where the Democratic majority is not as strong. The current process allows the… Continue Reading
Last-minute notice: Rose tweets Applicant Review Panel meeting
Rose Fellow Douglas Johnson is in Sacramento to attend today’s meeting of the Applicant Review Panel. The Panel is a group of auditors from the California State Auditor’s office who have been selected to review the thousands of applications for California’s first-ever Citizens Redistricting Commission. For minute by minute coverage of the meeting from its… Continue Reading
Utah Redistricting: No Reform for 2011
Despite an effort by a group called Fair Boundaries, Utah will not reform its redistricting process before the 2011 cycle. The Fair Boundaries group tried to put a redistricting reform initiative on the 2010 ballot that, if it had been approved, would have reformed redistricting on the congressional, state legislative, and school board levels in… Continue Reading
Major Donor Changes Mind on California Redistricting Reform
As reported by the Los Angeles Times on April 12th, entertainment executive and major Democratic party donor Haim Saban recently donated $2 million to the “Yes on Fair” initiative, a political advocacy group led by Representative Howard Berman that wants to overturn Proposition 11. Proposition 11 was passed by California voters in 2008 and created… Continue Reading
Maryland Redistricting: Bob Ehrlich’s Candidacy Presents Two Challenges for Frank Kratovil
In a recent Congressional Quarterly column on 2001 and future 2011 congressional redistricting, Bob Benenson wrote about how 2010 gubernatorial elections can determine and change the partisan makeup of a particular state’s members of Congress for the next ten years. Maryland’s 2010 gubernatorial election and 2011 redistricting provide a vivid example of the impact of… Continue Reading
CA Redistricting Application deadline looms
The deadline for Californians to turn in their secondary applications for the California Citizens Redistricting Commission is Monday, April 19th, at 5:00 PM. Applicants should be sure to read the Auditor’s guidance on how to demonstrate your qualifications in your essays. And, of course, applicants should be sure they do not violate the Commission’s conflict of… Continue Reading
Former NY State Senator Proposes Redistricting Reform Panel
Former New York State Senator Seymour P. Lachman wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on Sunday recounting his personal experience with redistricting politics and proposing a new model for redistricting reform. He described being offered a variety of perks and incentive in order to consent to his districting being “cracked” during the New York State… Continue Reading
Is Your Community Participating in the 2010 Census?
The Census Bureau now provides a running total of the 2011 participation rates so far for states, counties, tribal reservations, and cities. The website also shows the participation rate* of each jurisdiction so far, with a comparison to its final 2000 Census participation rate. The data changes dramatically everyday as more census forms are returned. Continue Reading
Rose Study Featured in Desert Sun
A March 21st Desert Sun article references the city of La Quinta and Bob Hope Classic Visitor Profile Survey conducted by the Rose Institute. The Sun highlights the Institutes’s finding that “during the 2009 Bob Hope Classic, visitors who attended the golf tournament spent an average of $368 a day on food, lodging, shopping and recreation.†Continue Reading