2008 California Proposition 11

none initial selection and current status of the district boundary commission November 2010 February 2026 Proposition 11 of 2008 (or the Voters FIRST Act) was a law enacted in the US state of California that placed the power to draw electoral boundaries for State Assembly and State Senate districts in a Citizens Redistricting Commission, as opposed to the State Legislature. To do this the Act amended both the Constitution of California and the Government Code.http://ag.ca.gov/cms_pdfs/initiatives/i746_07-0077_Initiative.pdf Full text of Proposition 11 2008-10-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20081022200937/http://ag.ca.gov/cms_pdfs/initiatives/i746_07-0077_Initiative.pdf 2008-10-22 dead The law was proposed by means of the initiative process and was put to voters as part of the November 4, 2008 state elections. In 2010, voters passed Proposition 20 which extended the Citizen Redistricting Commission's power to draw electoral boundaries to include U.S. House seats as well. Provisions The Act amended Article XXI of the state constitution and enacted Title 2, Division 1, Chapter 3.2 of the Government Code. These changes transfer authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to a fourteen-member commission. The commission is chosen as follows: Government auditors select sixty registered voters from an applicant pool. Legislative leaders are permitted to reduce the pool. Auditors then pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for a total of fourteen. The commission must include five commissioners of the largest political party in California (in practice the Democrats), five commissioners from the second largest party (currently the Republicans), and four of neither party. For approval, new district boundaries need votes from three commissioners of the largest party, three from the second largest, and three of the commissioners from neither party. The commission may hire lawyers and consultants to assist it in its work. The state legislature retains responsibility for drawing district boundaries for California's Congressional Districts, but the Act adds additional criteria that the legislature must follow in drawing those boundaries. Supporters California Common Cause was the advocacy group sponsoring the initiative. Others supporting the initiative include AARP NAACP California State Conference The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce The League of Women Voters Gov. Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold in Remap X https://web.archive.org/web/20110519225013/http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/2007/12/arnold_in_remap_x.html 2011-05-19 , Newsblog, Dec. 3, 2007Governor to lead effort to pass redistrict measure, San Jose Mercury News, Dec. 4, 2007 (Republican) Former Governor Gray Davis (Democrat) Former State Controller Steve Westly California Chamber of Commerce California Common Cause California Forward Action Fund California Business Roundtable ACLU - Southern California Bay Area Council Bay Area Leadership Council California Black Chamber of Commerce California Police Chiefs Association League of California Cities California Democratic Council California Republican Assembly California Small Business Association California Taxpayers' Association California Conference of Carpenters Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce IndependentVoice.Org National Federation of Independent Business, California North San Diego County NAACP Neighborhoods for Clean Elections Santa Clara Cities Association Silicon Valley Leadership Group Small Business Action Committee California Association of Health Underwriters Newspaper Editorial boards in favor The Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/ News from California, the nation and world Los Angeles Times The San Francisco Chroniclehttps://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Why-Californians-should-support-Prop-11-3269666.php Why Californians should support Prop. 11 12 September 2008 SFGate San Jose Mercury News Fresno Bee The Torrance Daily Breeze San Diego Union Tribune Pasadena Now LA Daily News North County Times 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 99 percent of incumbents being re-electedVoters First Ballot Language https://web.archive.org/web/20080918175208/http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7BFB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665%7D/VOTERSFIRSTINITIATIVE%20102307%20FINAL-1.PDF 2008-09-18 Partisan gridlock caused by the current way of drawing legislative districts has caused the legislature to underperform in its mission of serving the people of California.,Proposition 11 arguments in the California voter's guide https://web.archive.org/web/20081002005519/http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/argu-rebut/argu-rebutt11.htm 2008-10-02 Field Poll makes case for Prop 11, backers say https://web.archive.org/web/20080922095834/http://www.politickerca.com/benvandermeer/2245/field-poll-makes-case-proposition-11-backers-say 2008-09-22 State legislative contests held in districts drawn by a Proposition 11 commission would be more competitive, leading to voters electing more moderate legislators.http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1260958.html Sacramento Bee, "Budget signed, Schwarzenegger sets sights on re-districting", September 24, 2008 2008-10-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20080927055647/http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1260958.html 2008-09-27 dead 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.Record of donors to Prop 11 Charles Munger Jr., son of billionaire Charles Munger, $1 million Michael Bloomberg (the mayor of New York City), $250,000.Mercury News, Fundraising, alliances on agenda during Schwarzenegger trip, April 16, 2008 Howard Lester (of Williams-Sonoma), $250,000. Brian Harvey, president of Cypress Land Company, $250,000.https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2008/10/17/schwarzenegger-takes-in-a-pair-of-gop-sponsored-fundraisers-for-redistricting-measure/ Schwarzenegger takes in a pair of GOP-sponsored fundraisers for redistricting measure 17 October 2008 Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix, $250,000 New Majority California PAC, $237,500. Meg Whitman, CEO, eBay, $200,000. 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 proposition.Pasadena Now, City Council Endorses Redistricting Reform Initiative, March 11, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081007213921/http://www.pasadenanow.com/_News/publish/article_2220.html October 7, 2008 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.Expenditure detail for Voters FirstExpenditure detail for the California Dream Teamhttps://blog.sfgate.com/politics/2008/09/04/john-wildermuth-the-governor-the-money-and-prop-11/ John Wildermuth: The Governor, the Money and Prop. 11 John Wildermuth on September 4 2008 at 1:12 PM 4 September 2008 Politics Blog 12 January 2019 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062634/https://blog.sfgate.com/politics/2008/09/04/john-wildermuth-the-governor-the-money-and-prop-11/ deadRose Report, "Common Cause/League of Women Voters Support Redistricting Reform" https://web.archive.org/web/20090604062917/http://rosereport.org/?p=449 2009-06-04 Signatures to qualify the measure for the California 2008 ballot measures|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.,KPBS News, Governor Schwarzenegger Submits Redistricting Initiative https://web.archive.org/web/20081012055008/http://www.kpbs.org/news/local;id=11613 2008-10-12 , May 7, 2008Governor to chair drive to qualify redistricting measure, San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 3, 2007 Supporters file campaign financing complaint In late August, supporters of Prop. 11 filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission because the California Correctional Peace Officers Association—a group that opposes Prop. 11—gave contributions totaling $577,000 to the Leadership California committee, which is a campaign committee associated with state senate leader Don Perata. The Prop. 11 group said that it was wrong for the police officers union to give the money to the Perata committee rather than directly to the No on 11, and also alleged that the police union was trying to curry favor with Perata. Days later, the FPPC took the rare step of rejecting the complaint without conducting an investigation.https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2008/09/18/money-laundering-suit-washes-out/ Money-laundering suit washes out 18 September 2008 Opposition The official committee set up to oppose Proposition 11 was called "Citizens for Accountability; No on Proposition 11".No on Prop. 11 Paul Hefner is the spokesman for the "No on 11" effort.https://blog.sfgate.com/politics/2008/08/13/democrats-break-ranks-on-prop-11/ Democrats Break Ranks on Prop. 11 John Wildermuth on August 13 2008 at 4:30 PM 13 August 2008 Politics Blog 12 January 2019 12 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190112195240/https://blog.sfgate.com/politics/2008/08/13/democrats-break-ranks-on-prop-11/ dead 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 Defense Fund the Asian-American Pacific Legal Center Arguments against Prop. 11 Arguments that have been claimed in opposition to Prop. 11 include: 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.Arguments against Prop. 11 from the "No on 11" website Prop. 11 offers no assurance of the same representation for communities, such as California's Hispanic community in the redistricting process. 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.http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/569235.html FEC sets fundraising cap on ballot measure The Sacramento Bee 2008-10-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20081011045614/http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/569235.html 2008-10-11 dead Even when commissions do create competitive districts, the people who get elected in them do not necessarily behave as political moderates.http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/241500.html Governor to chair drive to qualify redistricting measure, Fresno Bee, Dec. 3, 2007June 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes 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 had announced its opposition, there had been an attempt to bring everybody into line and to encourage those in support of the measure to oppose it.Contra Costa Times, Democratic leaders accused of pressuring supporters of redistricting measure, June 21, 2008 Donations to opposition campaign As of September 24, the opposition committee, "Citizens for Accountability; No on 11", had raised $350,000: 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.Details of $5,000+ donations to No on 11 "Voter's First" campaign committee, $40,000 Polling information A poll released on July 22, 2008 by Field Poll showed Proposition 11 with 42% support and 30% opposition.http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2280.pdf July 22 Field Poll results on Proposition 11 2008-10-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20080917234757/http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2280.pdf 2008-09-17 dead A late August poll released by the Public Policy Institute of California showed Prop. 11 with 39% of voters in support.https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2008/08/28/complaint-filed-over-unions-contributions-to-perata-2/ Complaint filed over union's contributions to Perata 28 August 2008 Month of Poll Polling company In Favor Opposed UndecidedJuly 2008 Field 42 percent 30 percent 28 percentAugust 2008 PPIC 39 percent 36 percent 25 percent Sept. 2008 PPIC 38 percent 33 percent 29 percenthttps://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Poll-Same-sex-marriage-ban-not-wooing-voters-3383551.php Poll: Same-sex marriage ban not wooing voters John Wildermuth 25 September 2008 SFGate Result of vote thumb|250px|Electoral results by county. Proposition 11http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/sov_complete.pdf Statement of Vote: 2008 General Election California Secretary of State 2008-12-13 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20121018225250/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/sov_complete.pdf 2012-10-18 6095033 11992688 5897655 79.42 1750489 References 2 Further reading Capital Weekly, California forward launches reform effort, March 27, 2008 California redistricting plan faces hurdles Politicians will lie to kill Proposition 11October 2025 medicmedic, July 2, 2008 California Redistricting, Courtesy Of Lindsay Lohan? Prop 11 will take politics out of re-districting Ballot will hold treatment for budget stalemate https://web.archive.org/web/20081020194645/http://www.redding.com/news/2008/aug/31/ballot-will-hold-treatment-budget-stalemate/ 2008-10-20 Editorial: Prop. 11 looking good Anti-11 group calls measure too complicated ahead of pro-11 rallyJuly 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes 2009 will be year of government reform measures External links Full text of Proposition 11 Yes on Prop 11, official website supporting Proposition 11 No on Prop 11, official website opposing Proposition 11 California Voter's Guide to Proposition 11 California Common Cause website Ballot Summary Financial details of support committee League of Women Votes, Time line of the initiative CaliforniaPropositions.org Prop 11 information page 11 2008 Category:Initiatives in the United States C