Proposition 11 would take the final process of the decennial redistricting process out of the hands of the legislature. Proposition 11 would create a God awful alternative procedure which is none-the-less better than the existing one where we allow legislators to choose their constituents. The truth is, however, that even this convoluted process will be better than the current procedure. IF you are a conservative and think that this will make significant changes in the partisan balance in the legislature, you are wrong. As occasional Bee contributor Tony Quinn commented recently there are really two Californias - which do not meet. The Bay Area, like the Northeast US, does not have very many republicans in it. So the chances of someone like former Congressman Bill Baker getting elected in the East Bay, no matter how lines are drawn, are remote at best. But what this plan, or indeed any one which will take the process out of the self interested hands of politicians, will do is create a somewhat larger incentive to have more moderates run in primaries. Right now, we often get the loonies of both parties running in their primaries. But with a change in the way districts are drawn there should be a certain number of legislators who actually have to appeal to a wider range of voters.
The measure would forbid drawing district lines to favor incumbents, candidates or parties. With today's computers it is possible to alter election results by deciding which voters will be in which district. That is destructive of the electoral process but it also alters the level of attention that elected members show toward their constituents. The real battle comes in the primary. You've heard these arguments before but if you are a glutton for punishment, you can find them at this site.
If you like the current budget stalemate, then vote this one down. If you don't then vote for Proposition 11. I plan to vote for Proposition 11. While the idea is not perfect, it is better than the status quo.
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