REDISTRICT? JUST DO IT - LET'S SEE IF THE CRITICS OF PROPOSITION 77 CAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING SENSIBLE.

Long Beach Press-Telegram
November 14, 2005

State Democratic leaders had been offering this argument against Proposition 77: We support redistricting reform, but not the way this measure goes about it. 

That sounded like a red herring argument to us, since there is no intelligent defense of the way political districts are drawn in California. 

But voters should still hold them accountable for those words. If Proposition 77 wasn't the answer, let's see some ideas. 

State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, who has been sending exactly the right message of bipartisan cooperation in the days following the special election, told the Sacramento Bee that he will back redistricting reform. So long as the redistricting panel is independent and nonpartisan, all Californians ought to support his efforts. 

If Perata can lead the way on a bill that is acceptable to Gov. Schwarzenegger, redistricting reform could be firmly in place before the critical 2010 census. 

Redistricting will be an important display of leadership for Legislative Democrats. It will show whether they are content to do nothing but stand in opposition to an increasingly unpopular governor, or build on areas of consensus and move the state forward.