Budget makes case for redistricting

Editorial

August 25, 2008

One thing this drawn-out budget process has shown is our lawmakers aren't doing their jobs. It's time for a change, and voters can start by approving Proposition 11, the redistricting measure on the November ballot.

This proposition is simple. It takes the power to draw the boundaries of legislative districts from lawmakers and gives it to an independent commission that does not have a built-in conflict of interest.

Fair districts will restore competition to legislative elections, and that will make lawmakers more accountable to the voters who elect them. Right now, they are only accountable to party leaders because the gerrymandered districts are drawn for each major party.

That system has given us gridlock, and there's no better example of that than the budget impasse. If that makes you mad, vote "yes" on Proposition 11.