(CA) Governor backs bill calling for changes before '06 vote

[question everything]

Legislative redistricting in reform plan

Governor backs bill calling for changes before '06 vote

By John Marelius
STAFF WRITER

January 23, 2005

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pressing for an unprecedented mid-decade redrawing of California congressional and legislative district lines as part of his "reform" agenda.

It is an audacious move that could inject a fresh breath of competition into what has become a virtually closed electoral system crafted for the benefit of incumbents of both major political parties. Or, at a time when California faces staggering problems, it could paralyze state government over an issue few residents understand or care about.

"No one has yet approached me and told me that their No. 1 concern is the way legislative boundaries are drawn," said Assemblyman Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat who is chairman of the Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee. "They seem to be much more concerned about education, transportation and health care."

Schwarzenegger notes that none of the 153 districts at stake in last November's election changed political parties after a deal that resulted in boundaries being redrawn in 2001 to protect both Democratic and Republican incumbents. Most districts were fashioned in such a way that voter registration is so dominant for one major party, a candidate from the other rarely has a chance to win.

More..

John Marelius: [e-mail]


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050123/news_1n23district.html

[JDPriestly]

1. Cheap move by cheap politician

[JohnOneillsMemory]

15. Diebold just paid a $2.6 million fine for VOTE FRAUD in Alameda County

which has liberal Berkeley and Oakland.

But the damn machines are still everywhere and anything put up for a vote can be passed in those crematoriums of democracy.

The Secretary of State who challenged Diebold got himself an investigation into political contributions for his trouble to discredit and take him down.

Those machines have got to go and the GropenFuherer needs to be discredited and brought down, too.

[DBoon]

2. I figured that's why they staged this coup in California

Texas, then Colorado, now California

[mitchtv]

3. No matter what, Texas style resistricting

is coming. California is a ripe plum. EVERY RESCOURCE must be expended to stop this .

[blm]

4. Did Schwarzanegger comment on Tom DeLay's idea of redistricting?

.

[rockymountaindem]

5. First of all, it sounds like he's talking about state house districts

not federal ones. Secondly, the Democrats control the state legislature. Don't freak out yet people.

[cally]

11. No, it's federal congressional districts also

and he wants an appointed committee to redraw the boundaries. He's trying to re-district. We are worried.

[SoCalDem]

14. Yes...Freak out.. It STARTS there, but does not END there

The oNLY thing that stands between the "gropenator" and the shit-for-brains ideas he's lobbing out there is the DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY in the statehouse..

The repubes have this all planned out.. There are weekly (almost) articles here and there about how "receptive" CA is to the republicans...and how "welcome" *² is...and what a "great" job Ahhhnold is doing..

These are NOT accidental..

It's about prepping the public for the acceptance of republican rule.. During the phony energy crisis (which was supposed to take down Davis, but didn't), WHY was Arnold S, private moviestar citizen INVITED to the secret energy meeting with Cheney & Enron???

Davis won anyway, so the next step was to make Davis the scapegoat for the "crisis", and to get that stooge Issa to start the ball rolling for recall. Once the recall signatures were gathered, up steps Ahhhnold, so close to the election so there was no time to really hammer him on details, qualifications, his character, you name it.. He was presented to the "ga-ga" public, as the saviour, and of course do we really KNOW how many votes he actually got?? We do have touch screens here, folks :(


and now he's in the catbird seat, the papers tell us how popular he is, he can get all the media he wantrs for FREE , anytime he wants it. *² NEEDS him, because he holds the keys to electoral votes, and appointments to boards that the energy guys drool over.. He's a PLAYER...and if the dems ever lose the majority they hold now, it's O V E R for CA, for the foreseeable future..

The repubes HAVE unlimited funds, and they "know" how to shape the agenda..and they are NEVER afraid..(or repentant)

[Democat]

17. The entire big California media is pro-Republican - be very afraid!

The Republicans own the media in California and they used it to get rid of Davis, get Arnold into power, and the media is already supporting this move to "make voters voices heard" by allowed Republicans in the minority to redraw districts.

In Texas the media talks about Republicans "strengthening their hold on power" like it's a great thing and a right because they are in the majority. In California, where the Republicans are the minority, the media acts like the districts are the problem and they must be changed for the good of voters.

If Democrats don't go all out to fight this, we will probably never regain a majority in congress in our lifetimes.

[jamesinca]

6. He wants to do this and a few other things

He wants to scrap the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). He wants to turn the licensing and oversight over to appointed people that are not involved in medicine and know nothing about it. He feels this will improve quality. Nurses for the third straight year have been considered one of the most respected and trusted professions out there. Yet quality control will be turned over to an all appointed commission with political leanings and that is wrong. The BRN is financed by license renewal fees, Arnold wants to make it a government agency and increase government spending and increase the size of government.

[Garbo 2004]

10. BRN board members are appointees and it is a government agency

under the CA Dept of Consumer Affairs. Bd members for DCA boards as I recall are appointed by the Gov and the Legislature. See here for the specifics at the BRN. http://www.rn.ca.gov/about/brdmbrs.htm

Having been quite familiar with the DCA for some years, more so in the past, I can tell you the licensing boards have always been highly political due to the appointments of the board members, the industries/professions they represent and their relative clout in the Legislature and the Administration, whether it's the BRN, the Medical Board, Contractors State Licensing Board, etc. Quality control issues are a matter of existing statute, regulations, the licensing and enforcement programs. Subject matter experts are also used. In some cases (I'm not thinking of the BRN in this instance) some of the licensing agencies functioned primarily in the interest of the industry/licensees and consumer protection was of much less concern. Having dealt with enforcement issues at some of the DCA agencies one could tell which ones were serious about consumer protection and those who were more concerned about protecting the profession and pratictioners.

My understanding is that Ahnold's proposal is a reorganization in which the DCA boards would be more effectively under the direct authority of the DCA director. (The boards are already organizationally within the DCA.) Advisory boards, subject matter experts, enforcement programs etc. would be retained. The reorg is in some ways more of an administrative matter although no doubt the boards do not want to lose their current quasi-independent fiefdom status. (No doubt the industries/professional organizations will still retain their lobbyists and political connections to the Legislature and the Administration as before and have an impact; that won't change.)

Such a reorg was something talked about many years ago and should be more efficient in many respects, but the political clout of the licensing agencies' constituencies of course would not then allow that sort of reorganization. But be clear, all the DCA boards are indeed government agencies and subject to political appointees, regardless if the proposed reorganization goes through or not.

[AllyCat]

7. If he's so concerned about changes, why doesn't he make sure

people can vote everywhere in the state and have their votes counted? Or is that actually going to happen and he wants to improve the chances of getting Repuke candidates into office?

[lazarus]

8. I'm of two minds about this

1. I agree that we need redistricting, terribly. Virtually all the districts in California are "safe", meaning the representatives aren't going to be responsive at all to the voters they supposedly represent. I've always been opposed to gerrymandering and districting to create districts around certain political or ethnic or racial boundaries. It should be population-based only.

2. I don't trust this bastard. At all. And I don't trust anybody in the state government, including the Democrats in charge. Everyone is going to be gunning to increase their personal power, with no thought of the citizens.

I have no solution to this problem, however.

The biggest question, though, should be, why now? Mid-decade is a suspicious time to do it. If we keep pointing to Texas, we can maybe overcome the "media presence" of Arnold.

[PROUDNWLIBERAL]

9. Re-Districting Austria

I wonder if Arnold will seek re-districting in Austria. Arnold holds duel citizenship in USA and Austria. Where are his loyalties? Oh that's right with the BFEE!

[Sandpiper]

12. Ahnuld's hoping to Gerrymander a few more Republicans into Sacramento

Since the voters won't send them there.

[Hardrada]

13. How many signatures were needed for a recall?

Tell me. I forgot this useful information. I don't live in CA but get annoyed at Gropenfuhrer anyway.

[question everything]

20. Close to 900,000 last time -

12 percent of those who voted in the last governor's race

[pinniped]

16. Wow, Herr Gropenator though of this all by himself?

We all know one of his many puppeteers thought of it for him.

Soon, the steroid induced punk will fall flat on his fat head:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/23/ING4UASIPR1.DTL

Expect governor to be taught a political lesson

John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer

Sunday, January 23, 2005

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to test his popularity against the California Teachers Association in a fight that's likely to rival any battle the movie-star-turned-politician fought during his action hero days. And in this script, he might not finish as the winner.
--

more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/23/ING4UASIPR1.DTL

[Democat]

18. Look how the San Diego Union spins for Arnold "inject a fresh breath"

Fucking right wing media, owned by the Republicans.

[Democat]

19. What was Arnold doing meeting with the San Diego Union editorial board?

At a recent meeting of The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, Schwarzenegger argued that the strict voter-approved term limits – six years in the Assembly and eight in the Senate – rob the Legislature of valuable experience and expertise.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050123/news_1n23district.html

Arnold himself tells them what to print? I thought most of the San Diego Union articles came directly from the National GOP?