Here We Go Again: Reform in California
Forget the midnight ride of Paul Revere, Callista Gingrich's jewelry collection and Anthony Weiner's well, you know The most important political people right now are 14 Californians you don't know.Forget the midnight ride of Paul Revere, Callista Gingrich’s jewelry collection and Anthony Weiner’s … well, you know. The most important political people right now are 14 Californians you don’t know. They are the members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission of this great state.
American elections are rarely decided by debates in New Hampshire or even hundreds of millions of dollars in television advertising. By and large, American elections are determined by who comes out to vote, the fine print of election laws and squiggly lines on state maps. Except for presidential elections, which can surprise you, more than 90 percent of congressional and legislative elections are decided before ballots are even printed.California, ever ready to reform itself, the country and democracy with referendum and initiative, has now embraced “citizen redistricting.” Drawing the lines of congressional and legislative districts has always been a secret weapon of professional politicians. New districts have to be drawn after each census (2010, right now) and there have been two basic ways to do that:(1) In states where one party dominates, state legislators of the majority party, using census data and past voting patterns, draw lines to create districts to maximize their numbers in the legislature and in Congress. “Gerrymandering” they called it in high school civics, after a particularly clever 19th-century governor of Massachusetts named Elbridge Gerry, who created a district that looked like a salamander.(2) Legislators of both parties draw lines to protect incumbents. Themselves.The California problem was that the politicians had created what were basically Democratic districts, usually in the cities, and Republican districts in the rest of the state. One consequence of that was primary elections where the more extreme candidates in each party usually won, leading to more and more political polarization. Moderates, those rational outcasts in both parties, were being squeezed further and further out. (More reforms: California has opted for open primaries. The top two finishers, regardless of party, will face each other in the general election. But that is a story for another time.)So, in referenda in 2008 and 2010, the voters of California, those who came out, decided what the state needed was a panel of 14 ordinary citizens — three Democrats, three Republicans and two independents, who would then choose six other members. Thirty thousand people applied to become commissioners. It was a complicated piece of business, picking those first eight; there was vetting, interviews and then a lottery.© 2011 UNIVERSAL UCLICK
Your support matters…Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Related stories
Prison Reform
A tale of two states and the future of “involuntary servitude” in the West.
Economic Justice
The law, designed to protect consumers from financial aftereffects of a medical emergency, goes into effect in January.
Environment
The unprecedented lawsuit alleges decades of lies about the recyclability of plastics, propagated to increase production.
Economic Justice
New data shows the dramatic effect of the expiration of pandemic-era relief efforts.
Environment
Half a century ago, an obscure state senator fought to ban vehicles that used combustion engines — and almost won.
Economic Justice
There aren't nearly enough shelter beds available, but that isn't stopping localities from enforcing the ban following a recent Supreme Court decision.
Prison Reform
A tale of two states and the future of “involuntary servitude” in the West.
Economic Justice
The law, designed to protect consumers from financial aftereffects of a medical emergency, goes into effect in January.
Environment
The unprecedented lawsuit alleges decades of lies about the recyclability of plastics, propagated to increase production.
Economic Justice
New data shows the dramatic effect of the expiration of pandemic-era relief efforts.
Environment
Half a century ago, an obscure state senator fought to ban vehicles that used combustion engines — and almost won.
Economic Justice
There aren't nearly enough shelter beds available, but that isn't stopping localities from enforcing the ban following a recent Supreme Court decision.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.