Redistricting Initiative and Partisan Politics

Re “Gov. Readies Special Election to Attack Legislature, Unions,” May 17: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will hit the road again to mine the GOP faithful to raise millions for his special elections. Why will only Republicans give for the special elections; do they have something to gain?

I hope the redistricting initiative passes so we’ll finally be able to vote minority Republican obstructionists out of office -- the conservative anti-taxers who for 14 years blocked passage of California’s budget. Republicans won’t have gerrymandered districts to protect them any longer and we can be rid of the GOP mischief-makers. Bring on the special elections, Arnold!

Ron Lowe

Nevada City, Calif.

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Schwarzenegger thinks public employee unions should get permission from members before using dues for political campaigns. Shouldn’t he also have his corporate contributors get permission from shareholders before doing the same thing?

Barbara Aquino

Northridge

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Schwarzenegger’s calculated attacks on teachers, unions and Democratic legislators were accurately summarized by an observer quoted in the same article: “There is nothing behind this agenda besides pure partisan politics.” Just because he casts his partisan attacks as “reform” -- a term that always has positive connotations -- does not make them so.

Michael Katz

Berkeley

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Is it too late to turn the governor’s special election into a recall election?

Libby Breen

Altadena

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Re “A Little Talk Could Save a Lot,” editorial, May 13, and “Gov. Relents on Sped-Up Remapping,” April 28: The Legislature and the governor must agree to negotiate and come up with a compromise redistricting reform to be placed on the ballot, preferably in June 2006. This reform should create a nonpartisan or bipartisan commission composed of members from diverse communities to draw lines that will be based on new census figures gathered in 2010.

Mid-decade redistricting is not a good precedent to set. The Legislature’s goal in this process is always to protect politicians, and to accomplish this a great deal of “creative” drawing of district lines takes place. However, the most recent (2001) redistricting plan, crafted jointly by the two major parties, went far beyond the bounds of reason and fairness, and has become known as the “Incumbent Protection Plan.” California needs and deserves better.

The process needs to be permanently removed from the Legislature and placed in the hands of an independent commission with diverse representation. Several bills currently in the Legislature can do this. The Legislature should hold hearings and pass a workable bill that will go on the ballot next year, to become effective after the next census in 2010.

Margo A. Reeg

President

League of Women Voters

of Los Angeles County