From the SF Gate Politics blog (the website of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Schwarzenegger has long been a champion of changing the way voting districts are created — the idea was one of four proposals he unsuccessfully pitched to voters in last year’s doomed special election. But the governor has now pledged to try and fast-track redistricting reform, which will be officially announced at a Tuesday press conference in Sacramento by supporters of the idea.
It looks like Arnold is up to his old tricks again with redistricting. And why not? It’s the Tom Delay rulebook if you can’t win outright, change the rules.
This is a touchy subject as California’s legislative districts are basically incumbent protection rackets for both parties, but if you ask me the ballot prop that was voted down last year was a bad deal. You don’t universally disarm when you are in the middle of a dogfight and especially not with a group of retired judges picked by Arnold.
more on this beneath the fold:
Schwarzenegger backing new redistricting push
Schwarzenegger met Thursday with a bipartisan group of supporters, including former Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte, former Democratic Assemblyman Fred Keeley and the president of the League of Women Voters. The group is expecting legislation by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, will be at the center of the debate next week, although there are still some internal debates going on over the specifics of the bill. The basic difference between the current proposal and the one Schwarzenegger supported last year is who will determine districts — the governor’s idea was to allow retired judges to do it; that has been thrown out in favor of a citizen’s commission.
A citizen’s commission is something, and I think fair redistricting would be a good thing. However the legislature would be very foolish to hand Arnold another flower for his bipartisan election year bouquet.
The deadline is creeping up quickly. And Perata is not behind this, so my guess is that it won’t be going anywhere.
Oh wait!
But Arnold is a moderate right? At least that’s what Spielberg, Katzenberg and Saban would have you believe.
Oh, he’s such a reformer!!
please.
-C.