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PROP 11: |
The way it is now:Each federal and state lawmaker represents the people in a certain legislative district. Every 10 years, maps outlining the borders for legislative districts must be redrawn to make sure each district continues to have about the same number of people. This process is called 'redistricting.' The state legislature has the job of drawing district maps for the 80 seats in the State Assembly, the 40 seats in the State Senate and California's seats in the United States Congress.
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What Prop 11 would do if it passes:Change the state Constitution to give a 14-member citizens redistricting commission the job of drawing district maps for seats in the State Assembly and State Senate. The commission would be made up of registered voters (5 Democrats, 5 Republicans and 4 members who do not belong to either major party). Prop 11 includes rules for selecting the commission members and for a public process for drawing new district maps for state offices. Prop 11 leaves the state legislature in charge of redrawing the district maps for California's U.S. Congress seats. Fiscal effect on government:No significant increases or decreases in state spending. |
Pro |
Prop 11 ends the current system of politicians drawing district maps in ways that make it very easy for them to get reelected. If we have more competitive elections, politicians will be more accountable to the voters. Proposition 11 will do away with the backroom deals that drive the current system and replace it with an open and transparent process where districts are drawn to ensure communities, cities and counties are not divided to benefit incumbent legislators. From AARP "Redistricting reform is an important issue for our members throughout the state. This is why our organization has endorsed the California Voters FIRST initiative. Under current law, California legislators are drawing their own political districts, and we see that as a serious conflict of interest, one that is harmful to voters. We're excited to be in the company of Governor Schwarzenegger, the AARP, California Common Cause and the LA Chamber of Commerce in supporting this initiative and are hopeful that this reform will put voters back in charge." Janis Hirohama, President, League of Women Voters of California |
Con |
Though we desperately need redistricting reform, this is not it. Actually favors Republicans (who have 32% of registered voters) over Democrats (with 43%) and Independents (with 19.5%). Undermines voting rights for Californians of color. From the Courage Campaign Finding that Prop. 11 "lacks the safeguards to guarantee that Latinos are duly represented in state government," La Opinión -- the nation's largest Spanish-language newspaper -- is urging readers to vote against the Governor's confusing and unfair redistricting scheme. The California Majority Report Prop. 11 is designed to provide Republicans like Schwarzenegger, who raised more than $2.4 million to put the initiative on the ballot, with political clout they haven't been able to get under the current redistricting rules. "To believe this effort to change redistricting doesn't have a political slant is to ignore 30 years of history," said Paul Hefner, a political consultant for the No on Prop. 11 effort. "This has never been about fairness. It's been about changing things to give (Republicans) an advantage." MALDEF and other civil rights groups have fought the Legislature over redistricting in the past, even unsuccessfully challenging the last reapportionment plan in court. But with groups like the NAACP, Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Mexican American Political Association and the Asian Law Caucus, they're lining up with the Democrats to oppose Prop. 11. From the San Francisco Chronicle Prop. 11 gives the final say for the entire state to a 14-member "redistricting commission" never elected by the people. You don't get a choice. There's no guarantee they'll represent you or your neighbors. That's why community organizations oppose Prop. 11. Prop. 11 sets aside 10 of the 14 commission seats for partisan members of the two biggest political parties--and gives them veto power over almost every decision. If the big party representatives don't go along--nothing gets done. What does that mean? Political insiders will keep carving up the state to serve their own interests. Prop. 11 doesn't keep politicians out of redistricting--it just lets them hide behind a tangled web of bureaucrats picked for their political ties. It actually takes state auditors off the job of rooting out government waste to spend time screening commission applications. Who picks the commission? Bureaucrats. They decide who's qualified. And then the four most powerful legislators can reject anyone they want. Prop. 11 only gives this new commission half the job. It leaves the other half--drawing Congressional districts--to the state Legislature. So Prop. 11 means paying for two of everything: two sets of attorneys, two teams of consultants, working out of two different offices--with neither one working together or sharing resources. Prop. 11 guarantees each commission member $300 a day, plus expenses, with no limit. There's also no limit on how many attorneys, consultants, and staff the commission hires, or how much it spends for offices, hearings, and outreach. And there's nothing requiring auditors to examine the commission's spending for waste and abuse. |
