July 20, 2006 - Fairer districts for longer terms -- a good trade

Fairer districts for longer terms -- a good trade

July 20, 2006

Editorial/IVDB
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Democrats are showing an increasing willingness to compromise. They did it on the state budget and Los Angeles schools.

The latest deal on the table is the best: Schwarzenegger will back a proposal lengthening term limits if Democrats support a smart proposal by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, that would strip legislators of their ability to draw voting lines for the Assembly and Senate.

This is a fair trade. Safe seats lead to elections that do little more than mock democracy because voter registration so heavily favors one party or another. Maybe you've noticed that some districts were mapped so only Democrats can win. And the rest are entirely safe for Republicans.

Not a single California legislative seat -- in the Assembly, state Senate or Congress -- changed hands from one party to the other in the November 2004 elections. Not one.

This November, Gloria Negrete-McLeod, who won a bruising Democratic primary against Joe Baca Jr. in June, will face no Republican opposition for the 32nd District Senate seat. Democrat Nell Soto has to vacate that seat because of term limits, but the district is so safe for her party that the GOP isn't even trying to win the open seat.

Similarly, Republican Congressman Gary Miller has no Democrat running against him in his 42nd District. Even where there is a two-party race in November, don't expect changes from the essentially token opposition.

The upshot is that legislators answer to their party machines, but not to the voters.

Both parties are responsible for this mess since lawmakers selfishly wanted to keep their seats after the 2000 U.S. Census. Allowing them to draw their own districts, as they have in the past, is a conflict of interest. (Of course they would vote to keep their jobs.)

So it's going to take bipartisanship effort, and voter approval, possibly as early as November, to begin the process of ending California gerrymandering. The state should go back to having elections that matter. Schwarzenegger and Lowenthal could be the guys to restore meaning, if not Democracy itself, to elections.

But the cost -- allowing Assembly members to stay in office for 12 years instead of six if they don't run for Senate and senators 12 years from eight -- is steep. And since unseating an incumbent in California is just about as easy as bench pressing a Lincoln Navigator, this deal would unfortunately allow the ineffectual politicians in Sacramento, and there are plenty, to keep their jobs and benefits riding name recognition.

Lowenthal's idea is to allow a panel of 11 citizens selected judges and lawmakers from both parties to redraw the lines after the 2010 Census. This, like the governor's failed ballot measure to allow judges to draw the districts, would straighten the lines.

So is the trade-off worthwhile? It is. Allowing competitive elections could make term limits less important giving voters a chance to kick out the bums and keep the champs. Democracy is worth the price.

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Fairer districts for longer terms -- a good trade


July 20, 2006 Editorial/IVDB Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Democrats are showing an increasing willingness to compromise. They did it on the state budget and Los Angeles schools. The latest deal on the table is the best: Schwarzenegger will back a proposal lengthening term limits if Democrats support a smart proposal by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, that would strip legislators of their ability to draw voting lines for the Assembly and Senate. This is a fair trade. Safe seats lead to elections that do little more than mock democracy because voter registration so heavily favors one party or another. Maybe you've noticed that some districts were mapped so only Democrats can win. And the rest are entirely safe for Republicans. Not a single California legislative seat -- in the Assembly, state Senate or Congress -- changed hands from one party to the other in the November 2004 elections. Not one. This November, Gloria Negrete-McLeod, who won a bruising Democratic primary against Joe Baca Jr. in June, will face no Republican opposition for the 32nd District Senate seat. Democrat Nell Soto has to vacate that seat because of term limits, but the district is so safe for her party that the GOP isn't even trying to win the open seat. Similarly, Republican Congressman Gary Miller has no Democrat running against him in his 42nd District. Even where there is a two-party race in November, don't expect changes from the essentially token opposition. The upshot is that legislators answer to their party machines, but not to the voters. Both parties are responsible for this mess since lawmakers selfishly wanted to keep their seats after the 2000 U.S. Census. Allowing them to draw their own districts, as they have in the past, is a conflict of interest. (Of course they would vote to keep their jobs.) So it's going to take bipartisanship effort, and voter approval, possibly as early as November, to begin the process of ending California gerrymandering. The state should go back to having elections that matter. Schwarzenegger and Lowenthal could be the guys to restore meaning, if not Democracy itself, to elections. But the cost -- allowing Assembly members to stay in office for 12 years instead of six if they don't run for Senate and senators 12 years from eight -- is steep. And since unseating an incumbent in California is just about as easy as bench pressing a Lincoln Navigator, this deal would unfortunately allow the ineffectual politicians in Sacramento, and there are plenty, to keep their jobs and benefits riding name recognition. Lowenthal's idea is to allow a panel of 11 citizens selected judges and lawmakers from both parties to redraw the lines after the 2010 Census. This, like the governor's failed ballot measure to allow judges to draw the districts, would straighten the lines. So is the trade-off worthwhile? It is. Allowing competitive elections could make term limits less important giving voters a chance to kick out the bums and keep the champs. Democracy is worth the price.
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