Posted on 10/05/2008 7:30:13 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued
As reform measures go, Proposition 11 -- the redistricting reform measure -- is hardly a transformational law likely to supercharge activists (of any political stripe) eager to make Sacramento more effective and more accountable to the public. Proposition 11 is too complicated and too tame. Alas, it is the only measure on the November ballot that can improve the political climate in California.
See how low the mighty have fallen. If Proposition 11 does not pass, it will signal yet another victory for entrenched state lawmakers, as it will bolster the system in place since the last redistricting in 2001, when, as is their habit, state politicians passed a bill that allowed them to carve out their legislative districts and cherry-pick voters most likely to re-elect incumbents or replacements from the same party.
Unless voters put an end to the status quo and push for change after the 2010 census, Californians will be stuck with a setup that enables politicians to pick their voters, when democracy is supposed to be a system that allows voters to pick their politicians. Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies and California's guru of good government practices, helped draft Proposition 11, which would establish an independent 14-member commission to draw legislative district boundaries. Stern noted that since the last redistricting plan passed in 2001, there have been more than 450 district elections in California. In all that time, only one seat has changed parties.
Think of all the political upheaval in California this decade. Yet the only party switch in the state Assembly, state Senate and California delegation in the House of Representatives occurred in 2006 when Republican Richard Pombo of Tracy lost his congressional seat to Democrat Jerry McNerney.
(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...
I hope this measure passes.
I haven’t read the fine print but my guess (based on viewing the financial contributors to the campaign) is that Prop 11 is another masked attempt at weakening conservative districts and purging conservatives from the California legislature. If you look at the names, they are the same New Majority RINOs and lefties that brought us Schwarzenegger, other big-government solutions, and pine for a “purple state” (along with Angelides’ big backer, Angelo Tsakopoulos).
All redistricting initiatives are NOT good.
Contributions
California Voters First, Yes On 11 For Change In Sacramento
(A Coalition Of Consumer, Senior, Public Interest, Taxpayer, Community And Business Groups And Leaders. Major Funding Provided By Governor)
* Non-Monetary
| NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR | CITY | STATE | ZIP | . | EMPLOYER | OCCUPATION | AMOUNT |
| Governor Schwarzenegger's California Dream Team * | Burbank | CA | 91506 | $2,155,787.00 | |||
| Governor Schwarzenegger's California Dream Team | Burbank | CA | 91506 | $300,000.00 | |||
| W. Howard Lester | Rancho Mirage | CA | 92270 | Williams Sonoma Inc. | Chairman & CEO | $250,000.00 | |
| Michael Bloomberg | New York | NY | 10022 | City Of New York/Bloomberg L.P. | Mayor/Founder | $250,000.00 | |
| New Majority California Pac * | Mill Valley | CA | 94941 | $237,500.00 | |||
| Reed Hastings | Los Gatos | CA | 95032 | Netflix, Inc. | CEO | $147,307.01 | |
| Haim Saban | Los Angeles | CA | 90067 | Saban Capital Group, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | $100,000.00 | |
| Boone Pickens | Dallas | TX | 75225 | B.P. Capital | CEO | $100,000.00 | |
| Robert Day | Los Angeles | CA | 90077 | Trust Company Of The West | Chairman | $100,000.00 | |
| Rick Caruso | Los Angeles | CA | 90036 | Caruso Affiliated | Real Estate Developer | $100,000.00 | |
| William Powers | Manhattan Beach | CA | 90266 | Pimco | Investment Manager | $100,000.00 | |
| Charles Schwab | San Francisco | CA | 94104 | Charles Schwab Corporation | Founder | $100,000.00 | |
| Zenith Insurance Company | Woodland Hills | CA | 91367 | $100,000.00 | |||
| Project Democracy | Woodside | CA | 94062 | $70,000.00 | |||
| William And Margaret Bloomfield * | Manhattan Beach | CA | 90266 | Web Service Company Inc. | Chairman Of The Board | $55,000.00 | |
| T. Gary Rogers | San Francisco | CA | 94111 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Chairman | $50,000.00 | |
| Sempra Energy | San Diego | CA | 92101 | $50,000.00 | |||
| RWJ Technology Partners LLC | San Francisco | CA | 94111 | $50,000.00 | |||
| Johnson Machinery | Riverside | CA | 92507 | $50,000.00 | |||
| Donald Fisher | San Francisco | CA | 94105 | Gap, Inc. | Chairman | $50,000.00 | |
| Diane Wilsey | San Francisco | CA | 94115 | A. Wilsey Properties | President | $50,000.00 | |
| Sycuan Band Of The Kumeyaay Nation | El Cajon | CA | 92019 | $45,000.00 | |||
| William Price III | Belvedere | CA | 94920 | TPG Capital, LP | Partner | $35,000.00 | |
| Michael Marston | San Francisco | CA | 94118 | Marston Associates | Asset Management | $35,000.00 | |
| Kent Thiry | Woodside | CA | 94062 | Davita Inc. | CEO | $35,000.00 | |
| Los Angeles Area Chamber Of Commerce | Los Angeles | CA | 90017 | $32,500.00 | |||
| ZBB Energy Corporation | Menomonee Falls | WI | 53051 | $25,000.00 | |||
| Maurice Marciano | Los Angeles | CA | 90021 | Guess Inc. | Chairman Of The Board | $25,000.00 | |
| Joseph Weider | Woodland Hills | CA | 91367 | Weider Health & Fitness | Board Chairman | $25,000.00 | |
| Gregory Kelly | Sacramento | CA | 95864 | KKN, Inc. | President | $25,000.00 | |
| Fireman's Fund | Novato | CA | 94998 | $25,000.00 | |||
| Angelo Tsakopoulos | Sacramento | CA | 95826 | AKT Development Corporation | Real Estate Developer | $25,000.00 | |
| Aecom Tech Corp. | Los Angeles | CA | 90071 | $25,000.00 | |||
| John And Ann Doerr | Woodside | CA | 94062 | Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers | Partner | $20,000.00 | |
| Hitchcock Automotive Resources | City Of Industry | CA | 91748 | $12,500.00 | |||
| Frederick Hitchcock, Jr. | City Of Industry | CA | 91748 | Hitchcock Automotive Resources | Auto Dealer/Investor | $12,500.00 | |
| Vicki A Iovine | Los Angeles | CA | 90024 | Vicki Iovine | Author | $10,000.00 | |
| Thomas Mckernan * | Arcadia | CA | 91006 | Auto Club Of Southern California | President | $10,000.00 | |
| Thomas E. Tucker * | Newport Beach | CA | 95660 | Penhill Land Co. | CEO | $10,000.00 | |
| Richard Spencer | Fresno | CA | 93727 | Spencer Enterprises, Inc. | President | $10,000.00 | |
| Paul Folino * | Costa Mesa | CA | 92626 | Emulex Corporation | Executive Chairman | $10,000.00 | |
| Lawrence Higby | Lake Forest | CA | 92630 | Apria Healthcare | CEO | $10,000.00 |
I thought it was designed to end partisan redistricting with convoluted districts. That sounds reasonable to me.
IMO, the only way to eliminate partisanship in redistricting is to do it my mathematical modeling. With computers, it would be a simple process. But there is a reason no one proposes such legislation--they don't want it to be fair. They want to put control in the hands of those few who benefit from government and want to be able to oust legislators they don't like.
I look at it this way. Right now it is as bad as it can possibly get, redistricting is in the hands of extreme left consultants to the Democrat Party. and there is no other remote chance of changing it.
I never have accepted the RINO argument that competitive districts will elect more RINOs. Conservatives win primaries no matter where they are. RINO-ism comes from within.
I’m voting for it.
I agree with you.
When Jon Coupal/HJTA signs on, I'll reconsider...
I’ve been holding off on this one, and have been wary of the kinds of people and groups supporting it.
Perhaps we should rename this Prop. Catch 22?
Really ? Come to Tennessee and see how that's working out. 2 RINO Senators that were the most liberal running and they just deposed the most Conservative member of our state delegation in a party primary for a rodent ass-kissing RINO liberal.
I’m glad I’m not a Californian so I don’t have to decide if this is good or not.
HJTA say NO on 1A, 3, & 10.
Thanks for the HJTA info.
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