Prop. 11 to shape districts

Valley Press on ^ | Tuesday, November 11, 2008. | JAMES RUFUS KOREN

[BenLurkin]

One looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One is called the "Ribbon of Shame." Some have arms. Some have fingers. Many seem to defy logic.

They're California's state Assembly and Senate - but not Congressional - districts, and they will change after the next Census.

That's not new, of course. Districts change every 10 years. But because of Proposition 11, which passed narrowly last week, the new legislative districts that will take effect for the 2012 elections will be drawn by an independent commission, rather than by state lawmakers.

That could have big implications for the state's balance of power in the next decades.

"Prop. 11 isn't going to fix all of Sacramento's problems," said Dan Schnur, director of the University of Southern California's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and a former communications director to Gov. Pete Wilson.

"But it creates an opportunity for those problems to be more seriously addressed."

The last round of redistricting "was largely recognized as an 'incumbent protection plan,' " said Drew Mercy, an aide to State Sen. George Runner. "It was a situation where elected officials were choosing their voters, rather than voters choosing their elected officials."

As such, both houses of the state Legislature have remained solidly in Democratic hands since the last redistricting in 2001.

In last week's election, Schnur said California had only two or three competitive districts in the Assembly and Senate combined. After the 2011 redistricting, Schnur said there could be 20 competitive districts.

The "Ribbon of Shame" Mercy mentioned is the 23rd Congressional District, which covers a miles-thin and solidly Democratic strip of the coast in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

[ElkGroveDan]

I’ve been saying that Prop 11 will be one of the few seeds of hope planted in this awful election. Its effects will be slow but certain over the next decade.

[Tailback]

who appoints the commission?

[goldstategop]

Its a good thing. It takes redistricting out of the hands of self-interested legislators and gives it to an independent body. As an approach it works well in Canada, which ensures competitive elections. The principle is simple: politicians should not be allowed to pick and choose their own voters.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

Its not perfect. But it offers the hope of changing the corrupt status quo that has left the Democrats unchallenged for over half a century in California.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[BenLurkin]

That is indeed the weak spot in the plan.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

The colors represent the percentage of overweight students! LOL

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

That’s the state senate map.

[goldstategop]

Auditors pick 60 voters from a pool and they pick 8 from those by lottery to the commissioners and those commissioners pick 6 for a total of 14. The commission must have five Democrats, five republicans and four independents. To adopt a redistricting plan. it needs to be approved by three Democrats, three Republicans and three independents. If the commission cannot agree on a redistricting plan, then a California Supreme Court special master will adopt one. The California Legislature will still draw up congressional districts under Prop 11 which applies only to state offices elected by districts.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[nosofar]

How is “independent” defined? Is this someone who is not registered to a political party or some not registered as either Democrat or Republican?

[WOSG]

Is there any objective metric to be used to ensure that a ‘better’ versus ‘less good’ district plan is picked?
You know compactneess, use of natural political borders instead of slicing and dicing towns?

And what about Voting Rights Act rules?

Is there an estimate on how much this would help the GOP given how unbalanced the lege is now?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

What really needs to be reformed is the congressional district maps:

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Exactly. The “Ribbon of Shame” mentioned in the article is a congressional district, not an assembly or senate district. It’s shown in the post above.

[goldstategop]

Someone unregistered with either political party. That's an independent. The current redistricting process doesn't have them in mind.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

Voting Rights Act rules have to be taken into account. Other than that the requirements are that districts follow communities of interest, include whole cities or other geographic features to the maximum extent possible and no consideration should be given to the effect district lines have on incumbents and on a political party. Hopefully, that will lead to the creation of districts in which the parties have to fight to represent voters rather than ones in which incumbents face no real opposition to re-election.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Chet 99]

You really think so? Without Gerrymandering, I’m not sure there’d be many Republicans left in the legislature.

[ElkGroveDan]

You really think so? Without Gerrymandering, I’m not sure there’d be many Republicans left in the legislature.

It's the dems who have been drawing the lines. They draw them to maximize the number of rat seats and minimize Republicans. The districts are as bad as they can get.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Oh, they can get much worse. Somehow I think those “4 Independents” will make sure the Democrats get the upper hand. The post-2000 redistricting was essentially incumbent-protection that followed up and tweeked the post-1990 plan, which at one point elected an equal number of Dems and Republicans. Of the 19 (if McClintock gets his seat) Republicans, we may end up seeing some of those reconfigured districts replaced with “moderate” Democrats and Conservative Republicans eviscerated or replaced with more liberal RINOs (while conversely being unable to dislodge a lot of the existing Dems). I don’t see it harming the far-left Democrat members at all (because even if a few are tossed, they’re just replaced with younger clones).

[ElkGroveDan]

Oh, they can get much worse. Somehow I think those “4 Independents” will make sure the Democrats get the upper hand.

But the Dems prior to this already had the upper hand. They drew the worst districts they could. How could it get worse? So if the Independents don't somehow sell out to the Dems we make gains.