California Proposition 20 (2010)
Encyclopedia
A California Congressional Redistricting Initiative, Proposition 20 was on the November 2, 2010 ballot in California
. It was approved by 61.2% of voters. Election officials announced on May 5 that the proposition had collected sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot. The measure is known by its supporters as the VOTERS FIRST Act for Congress.
The Congressional Redistricting Initiative:
Ballot language was filed by Charles Munger, Jr., who was also Proposition 20's largest financial supporter. Munger, the son of billionaire Charlie Munger
, was a supporter of Proposition 11 in 2008
, which created a new way for political districts to be drawn for California's state legislators and its state Board of Equalization.
A competing initiative that also qualified for the November 2 ballot, California Proposition 27 (2010)
, sought to repeal Proposition 11.
Proposition 20 and Proposition 27 each had a so-called "poison pill" provision. This means that if they both received a majority vote, the proposition that received the highest majority vote is the law that would go into effect.
Text of Proposition 20, the "Voters FIRST Act for Congress"
Official summary:
Removes elected representatives from the process of establishing congressional districts and transfers that authority to recently-authorized 14-member redistricting commission Democrats, Republicans, and representatives of neither party.
Summary of estimated fiscal impact:
No significant net change in state redistricting costs.
and members of the California State Legislature
would have chosen how to draw lines for however many U.S. Congressional districts California is determined to be entitled to after the 2010 census. Estimates are that California will have somewhere between 52 and 54 seats in congress after those census calculations are completed.
From 2000 to 2010, the population in California has undergone a major shift eastward, with people moving to California's inland areas from its coastal enclaves. This means that California's congressional district boundaries will certainly undergo major upheaval after the 2010 census. As one example, the San Francisco Bay Area grew less than 1% since the last redistricting, while the Central Valley area has grown by 21%. Los Angeles County has grown 5%, while San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties have grown by 17%.
Another notable factor is that California's population hasn't grown, relative to the population of the rest of the United States, and may even have proportionally shrunk. California may even lose one or two seats.
.
The three sections are:
, having given about $2 million to that effort.
The New York Times characterized Proposition 20's supporters as "an unlikely collection of election-reform groups, civil rights nonprofits and former officials from both major parties who say that the current system of redistricting has left politicians unaccountable."
Supporters of Proposition 20 included:
A full list of the supporters of Proposition 20 is available from the "Yes on Proposition 20" website.
The arguments made on behalf of Proposition 20 focus on these themes:
Two campaign committees have officially registered in opposition to Proposition 20. Through September 22, neither of the committees specifically aimed at Proposition 20 had received any contributions to speak of. They are:
However, due to the fact that California Proposition 27 contains "poison pill" language with respect to Proposition 20, any money spent to promote a "yes" vote on Proposition 27 amounts to money spent to hurt Proposition 20, and vice versa.
That main campaign committee endorsing a "yes" vote on California Proposition 27 has raised millions of dollars, including a a substantial amount of money from 17 members of the California
's delegation to the U.S. Congress as well as members of the California State Legislature
.
The themes of the main arguments they make against Proposition 20 (and in favor of Proposition 27) are:
The petition drive management company hired to collect the signatures was National Petition Management. NPM was paid $1,937,380 (through May 6) for their signature-gathering services.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was approved by 61.2% of voters. Election officials announced on May 5 that the proposition had collected sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot. The measure is known by its supporters as the VOTERS FIRST Act for Congress.
The Congressional Redistricting Initiative:
- Added the task of re-drawing congressional district boundaries to the California Citizens Redistricting CommissionCitizens Redistricting CommissionThe Citizens Redistricting Commission is the redistricting organization for the state of California. It is responsible for determining the boundaries for the Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization districts in the state. The 14-member commission consists of five Democrats, five Republicans,...
(CCRC) created by Proposition 11. - Defined a "community of interest" as "a contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation. Examples of such shared interests are those common to an urban area, an industrial area, or an agricultural area, and those common to areas in which the people share similar living standards, use the same transportation facilities, have similar work opportunities, or have access to the same media of communication relevant to the election process."
Ballot language was filed by Charles Munger, Jr., who was also Proposition 20's largest financial supporter. Munger, the son of billionaire Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger
Charles Thomas Munger is an American business magnate, lawyer, investor, and philanthropist. He is Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, the diversified investment corporation chaired by Warren Buffett; in that capacity, Buffett describes Munger as "my partner." Munger is also the...
, was a supporter of Proposition 11 in 2008
California Proposition 11 (2008)
Proposition 11 of 2008 was a law enacted by California voters 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...
, which created a new way for political districts to be drawn for California's state legislators and its state Board of Equalization.
A competing initiative that also qualified for the November 2 ballot, California Proposition 27 (2010)
California Proposition 27 (2010)
Proposition 27 was an unsuccessful ballot proposition on the November 2, 2010 ballot in California, placed there by the initiative process. If approved, this measure would have repealed California Proposition 11 , which authorized the creation of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to...
, sought to repeal Proposition 11.
Proposition 20 and Proposition 27 each had a so-called "poison pill" provision. This means that if they both received a majority vote, the proposition that received the highest majority vote is the law that would go into effect.
Ballot language
Ballot title:Official summary:
Removes elected representatives from the process of establishing congressional districts and transfers that authority to recently-authorized 14-member redistricting commission Democrats, Republicans, and representatives of neither party.
Summary of estimated fiscal impact:
No significant net change in state redistricting costs.
Congressional re-districting
If this initiative had not succeeded, the next Governor of CaliforniaGovernor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
and members of the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
would have chosen how to draw lines for however many U.S. Congressional districts California is determined to be entitled to after the 2010 census. Estimates are that California will have somewhere between 52 and 54 seats in congress after those census calculations are completed.
From 2000 to 2010, the population in California has undergone a major shift eastward, with people moving to California's inland areas from its coastal enclaves. This means that California's congressional district boundaries will certainly undergo major upheaval after the 2010 census. As one example, the San Francisco Bay Area grew less than 1% since the last redistricting, while the Central Valley area has grown by 21%. Los Angeles County has grown 5%, while San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties have grown by 17%.
Another notable factor is that California's population hasn't grown, relative to the population of the rest of the United States, and may even have proportionally shrunk. California may even lose one or two seats.
Constitutional changes
Proposition 20 amended three sections of Article XXI of the California ConstitutionCalifornia Constitution
The document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in November 1849 in advance of California attaining U.S. statehood in 1850, was superseded by the current constitution, which...
.
The three sections are:
- Section 1 of Article XXI
- Section 2 of Article XXI
- Section 3 of Article XXI
Supporters
Charles Munger launched the campaign to qualify the Congressional Redistricting Initiative for the 2010 ballot. Munger was also a key supporter of 2008's Proposition 11California Proposition 11 (2008)
Proposition 11 of 2008 was a law enacted by California voters 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...
, having given about $2 million to that effort.
The New York Times characterized Proposition 20's supporters as "an unlikely collection of election-reform groups, civil rights nonprofits and former officials from both major parties who say that the current system of redistricting has left politicians unaccountable."
Supporters of Proposition 20 included:
- California Chamber of CommerceCalifornia Chamber of CommerceThe California Chamber of Commerce is the largest broad-based special interest group in California. Membership represents one-quarter of the private sector jobs in California and includes firms of all sizes and companies from every industry within the state. The CalChamber provides products and...
- California State Conference of the NAACP
- AARPAARPAARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
- California Common Cause
- Bay Area Council
- Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
and Gray DavisGray DavisJoseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...
A full list of the supporters of Proposition 20 is available from the "Yes on Proposition 20" website.
Arguments in favor
Arguments were submitted to the official California Voter Guide on behalf of a "yes" vote on Proposition 20, as were rebuttals to the arguments provided by Prop 20 opponents. The signers of these arguments were:- David Pacheco, the California President of AARPAARPAARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
- Kathay Feng, the executive director of California Common Cause
- John Kabateck, the executive director of the California chapter of the National Federal of Independent Business
- Alice Huffman, President, the California chapter of the NAACP
- Julian Canete, the executive director of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce
- Richard Rider, chairman of the San Diego Tax Fighters
The arguments made on behalf of Proposition 20 focus on these themes:
- Proposition 20 will create fair U.S. congressional districts, which will in turn make California's representatives to the U.S. Congress more accountable and responsive, as well as making it easier to vote them out of office.
- Proposition 20 ends the current system of members of the California State LegislatureCalifornia State LegislatureThe California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
being in a position to draw the U.S. Congressional district boundaries "for their friends in Congress—districts that virtually guarantee Members of Congress get reelected even when they don’t listen to voters." Also, "Right now, legislators and their paid consultants draw districts behind closed doors to guarantee their friends in Congress are reelected. Sacramento politicians pick the voters for their friends in Congress, rather than voters choosing who will represent them." - Proposition 20 is a simple and intuitive extension of a ballot initiative that California voters already approved, California Proposition 11 (2008)California Proposition 11 (2008)Proposition 11 of 2008 was a law enacted by California voters 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...
. - Under the current system, politicians have used their redistricting powers to bring about unfair results, and Proposition 20 will put an end to that. For example, "In the last redistricting, Latino leaders sued after a California Congressman had 170,000 Latinos carved out of his district just to ensure he’d get reelected. Now he’s leading the charge against 20!"
Opposition
Opposition to Proposition 20 is primarily driven by the supporters of Proposition 27.Donors against
State Rep. Charles Calderon, a $100,000 donor to the "Yes on 27" campaign.Two campaign committees have officially registered in opposition to Proposition 20. Through September 22, neither of the committees specifically aimed at Proposition 20 had received any contributions to speak of. They are:
- The "No on 20" campaign committee.
- The "California Coalition for Leadership and Accountability in Budget and Redistricting, Yes on 25 & 27, No on 20" campaign committee.
However, due to the fact that California Proposition 27 contains "poison pill" language with respect to Proposition 20, any money spent to promote a "yes" vote on Proposition 27 amounts to money spent to hurt Proposition 20, and vice versa.
That main campaign committee endorsing a "yes" vote on California Proposition 27 has raised millions of dollars, including a a substantial amount of money from 17 members of the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's delegation to the U.S. Congress as well as members of the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
.
Arguments against
Arguments were submitted to the official California Voter Guide urging a "no" vote on Proposition 20, as were rebuttals to the arguments provided by Prop 20 supporters. The signers of these arguments were:- Daniel H. Lowenstein, a professor at UCLA and a former chairman of the California Fair Political Practices CommissionCalifornia Fair Political Practices CommissionSUMMARYThe California Fair Political Practices Commission is the government body that enforces political campaign, lobbying, and conflict of interest laws in the state of California, similar to what the Federal Elections Commission does at the federal level...
. - Mark Murray, the executive director of "Californians Against Waste"
- Hank Lacayo, president of the "Congress of California Seniors"
- Aubry L. Stone, president of the California Black Chamber of Commerce
- Carl Pope, chairman of the Sierra ClubSierra ClubThe Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
The themes of the main arguments they make against Proposition 20 (and in favor of Proposition 27) are:
- Proposition 20 will be "a waste of taxpayer dollars".
- Proposition 20 is said by its opponents to turn back the clock on redistricting law. Proposition 20 mandates that all districts (including Assembly, Senate, and Congress) must be segregated by income level and mandates that all districts be segregated according to 'similar living standards' and that districts include only people 'with similar work opportunities.'"
Yes on Prop 20
Newspapers that have editorialized in favor of Proposition 20 include:- Contra Costa Times:
- Lompoc Record:
- The Long Beach Press-Telegram:
- Los Angeles Daily News:
- The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
: - North County Times:
- The Orange County Register:
- Riverside Press Enterprise:
- San Bernardino Sun:
- San Diego Union-Tribune:
- Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
- Santa Cruz Sentinel:
- San Gabriel Valley Tribune:
- Ventura County Star:
Path to the ballot
694,354 signatures were required to qualify the initiative for the ballot. Supporters turned in 1,180,623 signature in mid-March 2010, and election officials announced on May 5, 2010 that after an inspection process, the signatures met or exceeded the minimum threshold for ballot qualification.The petition drive management company hired to collect the signatures was National Petition Management. NPM was paid $1,937,380 (through May 6) for their signature-gathering services.
Results
Basic information
- Text of proposed law
- Ballot title, summary, and analysis
- Arguments and Rebuttals, submitted for the California Voter Guide
- League of Women Voters overview of Proposition 20
- California Voter Foundation guide to Proposition 20
- Institute of Governmental Studies overview of Proposition 20
Supporters
- "Yes on Proposition 20"
- Campaign finance reports of VOTERS FIRST
- "Yes on Proposition 20" on Facebook
- Yes on 20, No on 27 on Twitter
- "Yes on Proposition 20" channel on YouTube
Opponents
- Yes on 27, No on 20
- Campaign finance reports for the "No on 20" campaign committee
- Campaign finance reports for the "California Coalition for Leadership and Accountability in Budget and Redistricting, Yes on 25 & 27, No on 20