California voters should support redistricting ballot measure - More competitive races will make lawmakers more accountable.

March 25, 2008

The Fresno Bee
We have long supported redistricting reform. This fundamental change in how legislative districts are drawn in California would make state lawmakers more accountable to voters and result in more thoughtful public policy.

The Senate and Assembly have killed previous reform bills, and now it's time for the voters to take control of the process. A bipartisan coalition is circulating petitions to put a redistricting reform measure on the November ballot. We urge voters to sign the petitions being carried by California Voters First to qualify the measure for the fall election.

The initiative would establish a 14-member independent commission to redistrict Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization seats. We are disappointed that congressional districts in California are not part of the proposed change, but recognize the political considerations behind the decision to leave them out. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the California congressional delegation have threatened to work against the plan if their districts are included.

Their reasons are self-serving, but their opposition also could kill the measure if they pour millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat it. Leaving Congress out will give the measure a better chance of passing. Fixing legislative redistricting is the most urgent change needed. If successful in November, the congressional process would be next on the list.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and former state Controller Steve Westly, a Democrat, are co-chairing the campaign, which has supporters as diverse as the ACLU and the California Republican Assembly.

Legislative Democrats for the past two years have invented excuses for not getting redistricting reform through the Senate and Assembly. While admitting the current process is unfair, their real fear is that a fair system could threaten their majorities in both houses. But this issue is much bigger than one party's control over the Legislature.

If seats are more competitive, then lawmakers will be more accountable for their actions. Under the current system, the politicians can duck solutions to the state's toughest problems and still get re-elected.

This initiative would require the commission to observe the Voting Rights Act, to keep districts geographically contiguous and as compact as possible. The incumbents' residences may not be considered when commissioners draw the legislative lines.

This proposal is not perfect, but we believe it is a vast improvement over the current process, which has a built-in conflict of interest.

Tell us what you think. Comment on this editorial by going to http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion, then click on the editorial.