FROM SACRAMENTO — The only argument of substance being raised against Proposition 11 is that taking legislative redistricting away from self-serving legislators would hurt minority communities. But now a nonpartisan think tank debunks that notion.
Prop. 11 would strip away the Legislature's power to draw its own districts and turn over the once-a-decade chore to a 14-member independent citizens commission. Its only goal would be to draw sensible, logical districts -- rather than to protect incumbent lawmakers.
Some civil rights groups point out there's no guarantee in Prop. 11 that the commission would reflect California's racial and ethnic diversity. And it contends this could jeopardize the interests of minority voters when district lines are drawn.
The Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies looked into that argument and concluded that "the independent commission is likely to be more ethnically diverse than the Legislature's redistricting committees." More later on that.
First, I'll just say that all the other anti-11 arguments are flimflam and political sham.
(Full disclosure: My daughter works for a firm that is handling some of the Prop. 11 campaign.)
A Republican power grab? Prop. 11 is sponsored by a coalition of nonpartisan good government groups: Common Cause, AARP, the League of Women Voters, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, California Forward.
Democratic state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, through an aide, also came out publicly for the measure Wednesday. Lockyer is a former state Senate leader.
"Allowing the Legislature to set its own district boundaries presents an untenable conflict of interest and on that principle he supports Prop. 11," said Lockyer's spokesman, Tom Dresslar. "He would never support a reapportionment reform that resulted in a power grab by any political party or that presented a danger of reduced minority representation."
A power grab by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger? It's the opposite. The governor has contributed nearly $3 million and campaigned hard for Prop. 11. But under the measure, governors would lose their redistricting veto power.
The real power play is by Democratic legislative and party leaders who oppose Prop. 11 because they're desperately trying to maintain control of redistricting.
"There's a fear of giving up power," says former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys, another Democrat who supports Prop. 11. "Give it up and you never get it back."
