Last Friday the Massachusetts House of Representatives rejected allowing an independent redistricting commission to suggests districts in a 132-23 vote against an amendment according to the State House News Service. Instead the House will effectively control the Congressional and Legislative redistricting committee with 21 of the 28 members being from that Chamber. The House Chairman… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Rose Report
Kansas Considers Non-Partisan Redistricting Reform
According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, state legislators in Kansas are considering enacting redistricting reform that would make non-partisan legislative staff the ones responsible for drawing the lines for State Legislative, Board of Education, and Congressional Districts in the state. Legislative leaders in both houses and parties have gotten on board, with the only notable holdout… Continue Reading
DoJ Preclears CA Prop 11
Today the US Department of Justice gave its formal approval to California’s Proposition 11 redistricting reform measure. This is the final step in approval of Prop 11. The independent redistricting commission is now official. As noted in the DoJ Preclearance Letter, future steps in this process will require additional DoJ review. These include any regulations… Continue Reading
Kosmont Survey Mentioned in Forbes Column
A recent column at Forbes by Joel Kotkin discusses the results of the Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey. Mr. Kotkin mentions the fact that Los Angeles’s surrounding cities are mostly cheaper than it according to the survey, allowing local businesses to move to lower costs areas but stay in the region. Of course,… Continue Reading
Group Pushes for Independent Redistricting in Louisiana
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana is pushing for the Louisiana Legislature to agree to move to an independent redistricting commission rather than having the legislature draw the lines as they do currently. However party and legislative chamber leaders from both sides of the aisle deadpanned the idea:… Continue Reading
Twitter Comes to Sacramento News Coverage
According to a recent article in Capital Weekly, Twitter, the fast growing social networking messaging site has managed to make its way into coverage of Sacramento. John Myers of KQED started a Twitter account to cover the budget negotiations in Sacramento, and it quickly became one of the most important sources for the latest news:… Continue Reading
Open Primary Text
Thanks to Rose Friend Tony Quinn for providing the text of SCA 4, California’s Open Primary measure for the June 2010 ballot. Also, Tony sent along the very interesting ballot label that the legislature ordered printed on the ballots: “ELECTIONS. PRIMARIES. GREATER PARTICIPATION 1N ELECTIONS. Reforms the primary election process for congressional, statewide, and legislative… Continue Reading
Doug Johnson on Open Primaries on New York Times Blog
Doug Johnson was featured today in a recently created New York Times website blog named, “Room for Debate” that follows and comments on the news as it happens. Today the blog is focusing on the recently passed California Budget. Doug comments on one of the last minute compromises in budget negotiations that led holdout Republican… Continue Reading
Opinion Piece in Arizona Daily Star Calls Independent Redistricting Success
A recent opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Star by Steve Lynn, the head of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, calls the commission’s work a success. Mr. Lynn particularly highlights the improved competition in Congressional districts: Over the last four elections, voter loyalties have shifted, both nationally and in Arizona. The Republican trends of 2002… Continue Reading
Kosmont Survey Featured in Orange County Register Article
The results of the Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey recently showed up in an article on states trying to lure California businesses in the Orange County Register. The article mentions the Kosmont Survey’s results showing many very expensive California cities. This comes on the heels of four consecutive years of substantially more Californians… Continue Reading