In attempting this political sleight of hand, Colorado Republicans had to cast aside a nonpartisan reapportionment plan drawn up in 2002 by a federal judge in Denver. Colorado's high court ruled that the state's constitution mandated one, and only one, reapportionment per decade, nullifying the GOP's transparent power grab.
It is still uncertain whether the Colorado court decision will have any effect on an even more bizarre reapportionment battle in Texas.
That political food fight got some attention earlier this year when Democrats in the Legislature fled Austin for Oklahoma and New Mexico -- thereby denying a quorum -- to delay an attempt at gerrymandering by the Texas GOP. Eventually a second, pro-Republican reapportionment was forced through, but it is being challenged in the courts.
Of course, here in California the Democrats have shown they can be every bit as cynical and manipulative at reapportionment as the Republicans. In 2001 they struck a private deal with the GOP minority in Sacramento to pay a notorious Democrat political operative, Michael Berman, a whole lot of money to draw up a redistricting plan that would give incumbents in both parties safe districts.
However, those ultrasafe seats also helped create the political gridlock and nasty partisanship that now exist in Sacramento and that Schwarzenegger has repeatedly said he wants to change.
That's because incumbents with safe districts face little pressure to compromise with members of the other party and may even feel the need to stick to their ideological guns lest they anger the extreme conservatives or liberals who elected them. Which means that the moderate middle, where most American voters come down on most issues, gets the least representation.
The governor would go a long way toward changing the current culture in Sacramento, and to some extent even in Washington, by following up on a statement he made often during his campaign: to take a fresh look at how the Legislature reapportions itself and perhaps give the job to an independent citizens commission.
I like that idea a lot. It is similar to how Iowa reapportions its districts, which is a key reason that tiny farm state saw more competitive House races in 2002 -- four -- than California and New York combined.
So go for it, Guv. Changing reapportionment could be an even heavier lift than the state budget. But you have lifted a few weights in your time.
Frank del Olmo is associate editor of The Times.
