IN DEFENSE OF REDISTRICT PLAN

Alan Lowenthal
Long Beach Press-Telegram
July 4, 2005

I believe it was Mark Twain who once cautioned about picking a fight with a person that buys ink by the barrel. While I often take this sage advice to heart when reading editorials critical of my actions, I believe that the Press-Telegram completely missed the point and historical significance of the recent vote on Senate Constitutional Amendment 3, my legislation to give the drawing of legislative districts to an independent redistricting commission. 

Unfortunately, ever since the Press-Telegram decided to close its Capitol press office, its news coverage from Sacramento has suffered. 

Where once it had knowledgeable reporters who offered measured, first-hand accounts of events transpiring in Sacramento, they now rely on wire stories and columnists with partisan points of view. 

What was lost on (Sacramento Bee columnist) Dan Walters and by extension, the Press-Telegram was the historic nature of last week's vote on the Senate Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committee. Never before had a committee of the Legislature voted to voluntarily give up power in deciding their own fate. 

If the Press-Telegram's capitol bureau were still open, its reporters would have been able to cover the nearly three-hour hearing on SCA 3. They would have heard testimony from SCA 3 joint author Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield), that while some issues still need to be addressed, such as restricting the eligibility of those who can serve on the commission, the overall goal of removing the drafting of district lines from the Legislature is the most important policy consideration facing the Legislature. 

Walters and the Press-Telegram challenged two aspects of a citizens' commission: 1) that they would be too closely aligned with legislative leadership and 2) the governor would not have veto authority. 

Unfortunately, the Press-Telegram did not report that SCA 3 was amended to address the legitimate concerns of several public interest groups. For instance, the list of those who are prohibited to serve on the commission was expanded to include legislative and congressional staff, consultants, contractors, and all persons with a financial or family relationship with state legislators, congressional members, and Board of Equalization members. An additional amendment prevents a commissioner from working as a paid lobbyist or running for state office for three years after they leave the commission. 

They would have learned that the ``Costa'' initiative that is touted as the panacea for the state's redistricting woes is rife with drafting errors that could leave entire communities without any representation whatsoever. Or that the lines will be drawn using old census data, denying the basic tenant of ``one person, one vote.'' 

The ``Costa'' initiative also has the Legislative leaders picking the commission, just as SCA 3 does and that the Press-Telegram finds so outrageous. 

The biggest difference being that the ``Costa'' initiative requires that the commission members be retired judges, a group that is almost exclusively male and overwhelmingly Caucasian. 

Neither the ``Costa'' initiative nor SCA 3, or any other serious attempt to remove redistricting from the legislature, give the governor the veto authority that the Press Telegram's editorial writers believe is so essential. 

As I stated during the press conference on Tuesday and demonstrated at the hearing on Wednesday, this bill is a starting point. While I would have preferred the original version of SCA 3 to have been heard, I am grateful that Senate leadership has given Sen. Ashburn and me the opportunity to present this bill in committee. 

Unlike the severely flawed ``Costa'' initiative, which cannot be amended to address the many problems experts have with the proposal, my initiative proposal will be amended until it becomes a consensus document. 

Common Cause and the League of Women Voters understand the importance of this issue and have decided to work with me and my co-authors to draft a compromise plan. Instead of being excoriated by the Press-Telegram they should be commended for understanding that concept and be applauded for their dedication to this issue. 

I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan manner with my Republican colleagues and public interest groups to draft a constitutional amendment that meets the objectives of removing the Legislature from the redistricting process. 

Sen. Alan Lowenthal is a Democrat from the Long Beach area.