Cavala: Supporting the Governor’s Redistricting Scheme So That Reformers Will Be ‘Free’ to Repeal Prop 13 (?)

By Bill Cavala

September 11, 2008

Peter Schrag admits in his column today http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/09/schrag_pass_pro.html that he can't find a good reason to support Prop 11, the Governor's redistricting scheme. But he wants to align himself with the various symbols of 'good government' the proponents of the initiative have amassed - even though he can't agree with any of their arguments. So he concludes we should vote for Prop 11 to rid ourselves of the "distraction". Then reformers can focus on the real problem - the limit on property taxes.

For a man who has spent decades seeking the improvement of California's public education system, this is disappointing.

Would public education benefit from a Legislature with a majority of Republicans in the Assembly and the Senate? Might that not prove a "distraction" to reformers too?

Stories and complaints about redistricting were promulgated by Republican think tanks near the close of the 1980's, 1990's and today. They are designed to set the stage for elections that will remove redistricting authority from a legislature that has Democratic majorities. The purpose is to increase the chances that the Republican Party will control one or both houses of the legislature and/or increase their representation in the California Congressional delegation. That isn't a collateral consequence - it is the purpose of redistricting change.

Lest we forget, the GOP persuaded then US Senator Peter Wilson to leave that safe sinecure and run a close race with Diane Feinstein for Governor of California in order to provide the Republicans with a veto over a redistricting bill in 1991.

The strategy succeeded, and the Republicans took control of the Assembly in the first low-turnout election after the Court-drawn plan took effect.

Not surprisingly, repeal of Prop 13 was not high on their agenda.

Why Shrag believes things should be different under Prop 11 - when he admits there is no evidence to indicate it will - remains puzzling. It's almost as though it's too much trouble to think through the details of the proposal. As though - because he's tried of hearing complaints about redistricting - we should vote for it just so those complaining will go away.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker's Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years. He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960's and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker. He now manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates .