California Proposition 11 (2008)

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California Proposition 11, also known as the Voters First Act, appeared on the November 4, 2008 ballot in California as a proposed amendment to the California Constitution through initiative.

Proposition 11 was approved by a slim margin of 50.9% of the vote.[1]

Proposition 11 changes the process that is undertaken once every ten years of setting (which sometimes means re-drawing) the geographic boundaries of the state's 120 legislative districts and four Board of Equalization districts. At present, the task of setting these boundaries falls to the state legislature itself. If Proposition 11 passes, that task would instead be given to a new, 14-member commission.[2]

As the election campaign drew to a close, supporters of the Proposition 11 were a clear winner in the money-stakes; they raised $14 million to promote its passage, versus the $1 million raised by opponents.

Election results

On November 11, there were still 2.1 million uncounted votes from Californians. Since the difference between the "yes" and "no" sides on Prop 11 is less than 150,000 votes, opponents of Prop 11 had not conceded the election. There were fewer total votes for Prop 11 than for any of the other eleven statewide propositions on the November ballot.[3]

California Proposition 11:
Votes Percentage
YES 5,957,057 50.9%
No 5,759,932 49.1%
Total votes 11,716,989 100%

Specific provisions

Proposition 11 enacted the following provisions:

  • Changes the authority for establishing the district boundaries of the California State Assembly, California State Senate, and Board of Equalization from elected representatives to a 14-member commission.
  • Lays out how the members of that 14-member commission are to be chosen.
  • The commission must include five Democrats, five Republicans and four of neither party.
  • Government auditors are to select 60 registered voters from an applicant pool. Legislative leaders (Republican and Democrat leaders in the state senate and state assembly) can reduce the pool; the auditors then are to pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for 14 total.
  • For approval, district boundaries need votes from three Democratic commissioners, three Republican commissioners and three commissioners from neither party
  • The commission is to hire lawyers and consultants as needed.

Qualifications for commission membership

In order to serve on the commission envisioned by Proposition 11, commission applicants must:

  • Be registered voters
  • Show consistent voter registration for the previous five years.
  • Have voted in two of the last three general elections.
  • In last 10 years, applicant or close relative cannot have been a federal or state political candidate, lobbyist or donor of $2,000 or more to a candidate.

Supporters

California Common Cause is a main sponsor of the initiative. Others supporting it include:

  • ACLU - Southern California
  • California Black Chamber of Commerce
  • Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • NAACP California State Conference
  • California Police Chiefs Association

See also: Full list of California Proposition 11 supporters.

Newspaper editorial boards in favor

  • San Diego Union Tribune
  • Pasadena Now
  • LA Daily News
  • North County Times
  • Redding Searchlight[8]
  • Stockton Record
  • San Gabriel Valley Tribune
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel
  • Lompoc Record

Arguments in favor of Prop. 11

Notable arguments that have been made in favor of Prop. 11 include:

  • Under current law the legislature draws its own districts which results in a 99 percent of incumbents being re-elected.[9]
  • Under the current system, "Not one of the 120 seats changed party hands in the last two elections."[10]
  • The initiative will open up redistricting so that it will no longer be controlled by only the party in power.[11]
  • When state legislators are in charge of drawing district boundaries, as they are currently, there is a conflict of interest such that legislators place their own self-interest ahead of the common good.
  • A citizen's commission created according to Prop. 11 will be able to make independent decisions leading to legislative boundaries based on fairness and the public good and not political aspirations..
  • Passing Proposition 11 will end partisan gridlock.[12],[13],[14]
  • State legislative contests held in districts drawn by a Proposition 11 commission would be more competitive, leading to voters electing more moderate legislators.[15]
  • It will give the power back to the people.
  • Proposition 11 would reform the redistricting process by establishing a commission

(as opposed to a legislatively-driven) procedure. This measure could moderately affect government accountability by making the ballot process somewhat more representative.[16]

Donors supporting Prop 11

As of September 24, three campaign committees supporting Prop. 11 have filed officially with the Secretary of State's office. Some donors have contributed to more than one of these committees. The largest donors altogether are:

  • Gov. Schwarzenegger's California Dream Team, $2,446,000. [17]
  • Charles Munger, $1 million
  • Michael Bloomberg (the mayor of New York City), $250,000.[18]
  • Howard Lester (of Williams-Sonoma), $250,000.
  • New Majority California PAC, $237,500.
  • William Bloomfield, $150,000

City of Pasadena endorses

On Monday, March 10, 2008 the Pasadena City Council became the first California city to endorse the Voters First Initiative.[19]

Path to the ballot

Kimball Petition Management was paid $2,332,988 from two separate campaign committees to collect signatures to put this measure on the ballot.[20],[21],[22][23]Signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2008 ballot were submitted to election officials on May 6, 2008. On June 17, the California Secretary of State announced that a check of the signatures had established that the measure qualifies for the ballot.[24],[25]


Opposition

The official committee set up to oppose Proposition 11 is called Citizens for Accountability; No on Proposition 11.[26] Paul Hefner is the spokesman for the "No on 11" effort.[27]

Opponents to Prop. 11 include:

  • U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer,
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
  • the California Democratic Party,
  • the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund,
  • the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
  • the Asian-American Pacific Legal Center.

(For a full list, see List of Proposition 11 opponents).

Arguments against Prop. 11

Arguments claimed in opposition to Prop. 11 included:

  • No accountability to taxpayers. Each commission member is guaranteed $300 a day, plus unlimited expenses in the form of staffing, offices, etc.
  • The commission created under Prop. 11 would allow politicians to hide behind the selected bureaucrats to maintain a hold on redistricting as they wish.
  • The overly complicated process created by Prop. 11 would make it easier to mask hidden agendas of the people behind those on the committee.[28]
  • Prop. 11 offers no assurance of the same representation for communities, such as California's Hispanic community in the redistricting process.[29]
  • The current version of Prop. 11 does not include congressional districts as an earlier draft did, thereby not being complete reform and creating additional detractors to the measure. [30]
  • Even when commissions do create competitive districts, the people who get elected in them do not necessarily behave as political moderates."[31]

Democrat against Democrat

Kathay Feng, the main author of the initiative and director of California Common Cause, said in late June that since the measure qualified for the ballot and the California Democratic Party has announced its opposition, there has been attempt to bring everybody into line and to encourage those in support of the measure to oppose it.[32]

Donations to opposition campaign

As of October 25, the opposition committee, "Citizens for Accountability; No on 11", had raised about $1,000,000. Donors include:

  • California Democratic Party, $75,000.
  • California Correctional Peace Officers Association, Truth in American Government Fund, $250,000.
  • Members' Voice of the State Building Trades, $25,000.[33]
  • "Voter's First" campaign committee, $40,000

Polling information

See also Polls, 2008 ballot measures.
Month of Poll Polling company In Favor Opposed Undecided
July 2008 Field 42 percent 30 percent 28 percent
August 2008 PPIC 39 percent 36 percent 25 percent
Sept. 2008 PPIC 38 percent 33 percent 29 percent[34]
Oct 12-19, 2008 PPIC 41 percent 34 percent 25 percent[35]
October 18-28 Field 45 percent 30 percent 25 percent[36]
Nov. 1-2 SurveyUSA 39 percent 26 percent 35 percent[37]

External links

Basic information

Supporters

Opponents

References

  1. ↑ Official election results
  2. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Prop. 11 at a glance", October 14, 2008
  3. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "1 million declined to vote on redistricting", November 11, 2008
  4. ↑ Arnold in Remap X, Newsblog, Dec. 3, 2007
  5. ↑ Governor to lead effort to pass redistrict measure, San Jose Mercury News, Dec. 4, 2007
  6. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "California needs re-districting reform", September 12, 2008
  7. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Why Californians should support Prop. 11", September 12, 2008
  8. ↑ Redding Searchlight, "Prop. 11 will deal voters a more fair hand", October 12, 2008
  9. ↑ Voters First Ballot Language
  10. ↑ New York Times, "Plan on California ballot for new districting panel"
  11. ↑ Los Angeles Times, opinion column by George Skelton, "Prop. 11 foes waging Orwellian campaign", October 9, 2008
  12. ↑ Proposition 11 arguments in the California voter's guide
  13. ↑ Field Poll makes case for Prop 11, backers say
  14. ↑ Ventura County Star, "Proposition 11: Supporters see redistricting as end to gridlock", October 19, 2008
  15. ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Budget signed, Schwarzenegger sets sights on re-districting", September 24, 2008
  16. ↑ National Taxpayers Union, "General Election Ballot Guide 2008, The Taxpayer's Perspective"
  17. ↑ Record of donors to Prop 11
  18. ↑ Mercury News, Fundraising, alliances on agenda during Schwarzenegger trip, April 16, 2008
  19. ↑ Pasadena Now, City Council Endorses Redistricting Reform Initiative, March 11, 2008
  20. ↑ Expenditure detail for Voters First
  21. ↑ Expenditure detail for the California Dream Team
  22. ↑ The governor, the money, and Prop. 11
  23. ↑ Rose Report, "Common Cause/League of Women Voters Support Redistricting Reform"
  24. ↑ KPBS News, Governor Schwarzenegger Submits Redistricting Initiative, May 7, 2008
  25. ↑ Governor to chair drive to qualify redistricting measure, San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 3, 2007
  26. ↑ No on Prop. 11
  27. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle Politics Blog, "Democrats Break Ranks on Prop. 11", August 13, 2008
  28. ↑ Arguments against Prop. 11 from the "No on 11" website
  29. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Would Proposition 11 hurt minorities?", July 27, 2008
  30. ↑ FEC sets fundraising cap on ballot measure, The Sacramento Bee, Dec. 15, 2007
  31. ↑ Governor to chair drive to qualify redistricting measure, Fresno Bee, Dec. 3, 2007
  32. ↑ Contra Costa Times, Democratic leaders accused of pressuring supporters of redistricting measure, June 21, 2008
  33. ↑ Details of $5,000+ donations to No on 11
  34. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "Poll: Same-sex marriage ban not wooing voters", September 25, 2008
  35. ↑ PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and their government, released October 22, 2008
  36. ↑ Field Poll for the Sacramento Bee, October 31, 2008
  37. ↑ Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert, "Survey says: New polling on Props. 4, 8, 11 and Obama-McCain", November 3, 2008

Additional reading

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