Proposition 11proposes to establish a new way of drawing electoral district boundaries to better reflect the state’s demographic changes. Yet, it lacks the safeguards to guarantee that Latinos are duly represented in state government. For this reason, we recommend voting: No on Proposition 11!
The initiative has good intentions in wanting to change how electoral districts are redrawn after each national census. Today, however, the process is controlled by legislators from both parties whose main goal is protecting their political self-interest in drawing districts that ensure their reelection, rather than faithfully reflecting demographic changes. This dynamic is one of several root causes of the stalemates in Sacramento, such as we recently experienced with the approval of the state budget.
Real reform to resolve the stalemate problem must combine changes in campaign financing and legislative term limits, along with a redistribution of districts that represents California’s diversity as much on the commission that carries out the plan as well as in the final outcome.
Proposition 11 does not guarantee diversity nor does it depoliticize the process, as proponents contend. The initiative reflects justified frustration with the current system in Sacramento. While the measure hopes to improve upon current practice, it fails to provide enough safeguards.
The problem is that the initiative could have a negative impact on fair political representation for Latinos. This is reason enough to reject Proposition 11.
