Put redistricting proposal on fall ballot

Put redistricting proposal on fall ballot

Sacramento Bee, The (CA)

June 24, 2006

California government is broken. We should know. As a Democrat who served as speaker of the Assembly and a former Republican leader of the Senate, we know as well as anyone how the process really works -- and doesn't work -- for the state and its people.

Legislative districts are drawn to protect incumbents -- by incumbent legislators themselves. Predictably, members of both parties want districts that will make their own re-elections as easy as possible.

And since it is almost impossible to defeat an incumbent in a primary, the elimination of general election competition ultimately leads to democracy-proofing the Legislature.

Legislators elected to these districts are therefore insulated from popular opinion and much less likely to seek the bipartisan solutions that from time to time become necessary. Ultimately, the combination of these and other bad results seriously undermine public confidence in government.

In 2001, as the legislative leaders of our respective political parties, we got the redistricting task following the 2000 census.

We did our constitutional duty in strict accordance with the letter of the law. But we can tell you, as the guys at the head of the table, allowing legislators to draw their own districts is a clear conflict of interest that is indefensible. It must be eliminated. The system must be fixed.

The defenders of the status quo would have you believe that the failure last fall of Proposition 77, the redistricting reform measure, proved conclusively that Californians like the current system. But according to a recent statewide poll, 66 percent of Californians want control over redistricting to be removed from the Legislature and turned over to an independent commission. And 88 percent of Californians support conducting that process through public hearings.

There is currently a proposal in the Senate that would do just that by taking the responsibility for redistricting away from legislators and giving it instead to an independent, multipartisan citizens commission, consistent with public preferences and with earlier alternative reform proposals.

It also would provide that commission with a strict set of constitutional and Voting Rights Act (fairness) criteria to follow in drawing lines, to ensure the process puts the interests of all voters first rather than those of political parties or incumbents. It also would require the process to be conducted in a transparent, inclusive manner to provide genuine opportunity for public critique and input. That approach is intelligent and balanced.

A bipartisan coalition of more than 80 well-respected Californians also have urged the governor and the Legislature to turn redistricting over to such an independent commission.

This growing coalition includes former Rep. Leon Panetta, former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, state Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim, the two of us, the League of Women Voters, the Center for Governmental Studies, California Common Cause and many, many others.

As our political party's leaders who have had to shepherd redistricting bills through the Legislature under the current rules, we have joined together to urge Californians to press the Legislature to give voters the chance to fix this truly flawed system.

Don't get us wrong. We are both very loyal to our respective political parties and our parties' basic beliefs. But we also understand that few things are more debilitating to the efficacy of government than a failure of public confidence in its ability to be responsive and responsible to the people it is intended to serve.

Removing the conflict of interest inherent in our current redistricting process would be an important step toward restoring the credibility of this Legislature in the eyes of the public. The opportunity to do so is within our grasp as Californians.

But the window of opportunity is only open for a short time. In order to qualify meaningful redistricting reform for the ballot this November, the Legislature must act by the end of July.

Significant pressure from California citizens and community leaders from all walks of life can help elected representatives do the right thing by returning control of state government back to the people of California .

Robert Hertzberg, a Democrat, served as speaker of the California Assembly from 2000 to 2002. James L. Brulte served as Republican leader of the California Senate from 2000 to 2004 and as Republican leader of California Assembly from 1992 to 1995.

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Author: Robert M. Hertzberg and James L. BrulteSpecial to The Bee

Section: EDITORIALS

Page: B7