LA Times Releases Unbiased Voter Guide!
Posted by: Chris Emami | 09/05/2008 9:28 AM
I was shocked to see in the LA Times today that their voter guide was actually fair and balanced. There was no liberal slant on any of the measures.
The Prop 6 description is incredibly long, but incredibly fair. The LA Times definitely did their homework on this one (unlike the Crooks...er, Books Not Bars people leading the opposition to 6 along with a bunch of Bay Area and LA politicians):
Proposition 6: "Safe Neighborhoods Act." Establishes an Office of Public Safety Education and Information and appropriates $12.5 million annually to pay for it and other programs; establishes a California Early Intervention, Rehabilitation and Accountability Commission to evaluate publicly funded anti-crime programs and sets standards for such programs; appropriates $92.5 million annually to help counties house juvenile offenders; appropriates $50 million for a Juvenile Probation Facility and Supervision Fund; broadens the admissibility of hearsay evidence; establishes a Crimestopper Reward Reimbursement Fund and appropriates $10 million annually to fund it; stiffens penalties for threatening judges and witnesses and for various gang-related crimes; broadens civil actions against gangs; and establishes other programs and laws intended to protect crime victims and more effectively deter crime and punish criminals.
The LA Times described Prop 8 more fairly than the ballot will:
Proposition 8: "California Marriage Protection Act." Outlaws same-sex marriage by adding the following words to the state Constitution: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
The Prop 11 description even says redistricting power would shift "from the political parties and elected officials to a 14-member citizens' commission." Wow, they really told it like it is on this one. Few people ever said it would move power from the political parties (which it does), but no media had ever bothered to cover, focusing instead on the elected officials having the redistricting power.
Proposition 11: "Voters FIRST Act." Redistricting Constitutional Amendment and Statute. Would transfer the power to re-draw Assembly, state Senate, and Board of Equalization district lines, once every 10 years after census data come in, from the political parties and elected officials to a 14-member citizens' commission.
The LA Times voter guide for all the initiatives (along with some LA county races) is available here.
Anonymous, you have an excellent point. Sometimes people become annoyed by a person or event, to the extent...
Proposition 11 has 2 giant loop-holes in it---and more!
Giant loop-hole #1 allows the Legislature to change the make up of the so-called Citizens Redistricting Commission in future years. Thus allowing the Legislature’s skilled gerrymanders to dominate the process in the future just like they do now. (see Government Code, Chapter 3.2. 8251. (c, 2,3,4)
Giant loop-hole #2 is that this so-called Citizens Redistricting Commission can craft new districts anyway they want, just by calling them Communities of interests. (see Article XXI, Sec. 2. (d4)
That’s right, by using the “communities of interests” criteria, they can run districts hundreds of miles across the state. And, because there is no definition for community of interest, it allows the commission to define it anyway it want.
So, that’s the way it is, “politics”. The drafters of this initiative hid their loop-holes so well that Governor Arnold Swartzenegger was not aware of them last time I talked to his staff.
Even worse than these giant loop-holes is the selection process. It invites every partisan political machine in the state including giant lobbyist and labor unions to recruit potential members of the commission---ringers. The list will certainly include the best gerrymanders California’s political machines have to offer. Naturally, Democrats will call it a Republican power grab and Republicans will call it a scam to take redistricting power out of the legislature and give it to liberal non-profits controlled by giant public employee unions.
Last, we must all ask ourselves. “why isn’t Congress included?” The drafters are very candid about this. They simply admit they want Nancy Polosi to be able to Gerrymander Congressional Districts next time around.
For these reasons, I cannot support Prop11.
Edward J. (Ted) Costa, fairdistrictsnow.com