Retiring state Sen. Bruce McPherson is right: Redistricting is a
conflict of interest for legislators. That
’s why redrawing boundaries for the state Legislature and U.S.
Congressional districts after each census is a job they shouldn’t
be allowed to do any more.
Retiring state Sen. Bruce McPherson is right: Redistricting is a conflict of interest for legislators. That’s why redrawing boundaries for the state Legislature and U.S. Congressional districts after each census is a job they shouldn’t be allowed to do any more.
Boundaries aren’t drawn to favor one party over another; rather, they’re drawn to favor incumbents. As one wag said about the current redistricting situation, “In gerrymandered election districts, the voters don’t choose their politicians – the politicians choose their voters.”
If a district is drawn with 55 percent of the population registered as members of the incumbent’s party, the incumbent can rest assured of an easy ride to re-election. Results of the Nov. 2 election make that clear.
That’s not good for democracy, accountability, or South Valley. Our region’s fragmented districts for state Assembly, state Senate and U.S. House of Representatives are evidence enough of that.
Instead of shared representatives for our region, which has many issues in common, our political voice is diffused among four congressional districts, two Assembly districts and three state Senate districts.
Instead of exercising regional clout, South Valley’s political voice is reduced because each community is a small part of a much larger district that doesn’t share its issues and concerns.
Because incumbents like the current system in which they can virtually guarantee themselves re-election, regardless of the ridiculous boundaries that requires, they will not reform the redistricting process on their own.
That means California’s initiative system is the only solution to this problem. We urge California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, McPherson, and South Valley leaders to work together to craft a reasonable proposal – perhaps a nonpartisan panel of judges, perhaps another solution – to put sanity back in the redistricting process and take the job out of the hands of legislators.
This strikes us as the perfect issue for Schwarzenegger to put his considerable political clout behind. It’s not a partisan issue, it’s not a special interest issue, it’s just about what’s right and what’s best for Californians.
Clearly, the current system is broken. Legislators have demonstrated time and again that they will not put aside their own self-interest to draw fair, reasonable boundaries that group neighboring communities with in-common issues.
So, let’s take the job away from them with a well-considered initiative to replace the current redistricting process and hopefully signal the beginning of the end of politics as usual in Sacramento.
The next census is a short six years away. We must fix this problem before South Valley and the rest of California suffer more indignities of gerrymandered districts just so that incumbents can have job security.
Redistricting is ripe for reform and the time is now.
