Prop 11 Redistricting Needed - Unless You Think Sacramento is Working

By Jeannine English

August 25, 2008

The question California voters should ask themselves this November is this: "is the status quo in Sacramento working for me?" Considering the state's ongoing budget problems, lack of health care reform despite years of debate, regular cuts to social services, and a host of other issues that are not being properly addressed in the state, the answer from all but political insiders will likely be "no, the status quo is not working for me."

Yet we still see a contingent of folks in Sacramento who continuously seek to block change by opposing proposals like Prop 11 which if passed in November will help break the policy logjam in Sacramento. These are the same people that have said for years that they support the much-needed redistricting reform Prop 11 will bring, but when it comes to actually getting something passed either legislatively or at the ballot box, they balk.

So now its time for voters to get it done. Prop. 11, written over two years by voting rights attorneys and experts in consultation with Californians of all ideological persuasions, will create fair redistricting in California so incumbents are not guaranteed their reelection but actually have to work for their votes. With Prop 11's passage, legislators will have to work better together to solve the problems Californian's care about, instead of staying in their partisan corners.

Prop 11 will create an open and transparent process where districts are drawn to ensure communities, cities and counties are not divided to benefit incumbent legislators. The 14- member citizen's commission will meet in public, no closed-door meetings are allowed, ensuring that anyone who is concerned about the fairness of the process can watch closely and ask questions. When the final maps are submitted by the commission, they must include a detailed narrative about how the district lines adhere to the redistricting criteria set forth in Prop 11, including adhering to the federal Voting Rights Act. These are the facts that all the name calling and fear tactics in the world can't change.

Prop 11 will finally bring fair redistricting reform to the state and help break the partisan gridlock that keeps our state from solving critical problems and improving the lives of all of our residents. That is why it is supported by AARP, California Common Cause, The League of Women Voters of California, the ACLU of Southern California, voting rights advocates, firefighters and more. Voters should pass Prop. 11 on November 4 so we don't have to wait yet another decade to help ensure our state lawmakers are accountable to voters.