| Former Governor Joins Effort to Overturn Commission's Maps
by Brian Leubitz
While Arnold Schwarzenegger was all over the place in his effort to pass the redistricting measure on the ballot a few years back, his fellow California Republicans were very mixed on the subject. Some supported it out of team jersey loyalty, while others just weren't comfortable with an unknown entity.
It seems that discomfort lingers, as the Republican Senate Caucus, along with some other rich Republicans, is attempting to kill the maps. They now have a brand new, and high profile, ally:
Wilson and other GOP leaders have sent out a fundraising appeal to help finance a referendum drive that would give the state's voters a chance to repeal the maps drawn by a Citizens Redistricting Commission. The GOP leaders say in a five-page memo to several thousand potential donors that the new districts could help give Democrats a two-thirds majority in the Senate. ...
"The state Senate lines drawn by the California Redistricting Commission virtually guarantee a Democrat Super-majority in the California State Senate in 2012," the mailer added. "A successful drive to put a referendum on the June 2012 ballot is the best way to prevent this from happening." (LA Times)
And perhaps they are right, as the maps do put a few additional seats in the toss-up column and make a 2/3 majority in the Legislature possible. It seems more likely in the Senate, and that's why we are seeing the Republican Senate caucus pouring money into the initiative.
But the problem for the Republicans is that even a victory at the ballot doesn't mean that they'll get what they want. If they do get an initiative on the ballot, the district lines will be tossed to the judges. And while there are more Republicans on the Court, they aren't really the idealogues that the Republicans really want. And they are very process-y, which would seem to indicate that they would prefer something similar to the maps as drawn by the commission.
But, right now they are sitting at just $92,500, and they are going to need a lot more money fast to get the referendum on the ballot. |
