Official Voter Information Guide

Change Text Size

extra small size small size normal size large size extra large size

Propositions

Link to California Secretary of State Website

Bookmark and Share

Bookmark and Share

Home > Propositions

PROP
27

ELIMINATES STATE COMMISSION ON REDISTRICTING. CONSOLIDATES AUTHORITY FOR REDISTRICTING WITH ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND STATUTE.

ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSITION 27

Non-partisan experts have concluded that YES ON PROP. 27 saves taxpayer dollars:

“Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Likely DECREASE IN STATE REDISTRICTING COSTS TOTALING SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS EVERY TEN YEARS.”

YES ON 27, the Fiscal Accountability in Redistricting Act (FAIR). 27 will save taxpayers millions of dollars and put an end to Arnold Schwarzenegger's political reapportionment games.

In 2005, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasted nearly 39 million taxpayer dollars to call a Special Election primarily to pass his so–called redistricting reform, Proposition 77, which the voters rejected by a 60 to 40 percent margin.

In 2008, Schwarzenegger raised and spent 16 million special-interest dollars to barely pass an obtuse bureaucratic Commission to take the power of redistricting from those who are accountable to the people and give it to a faceless group of amateurs WHO CAN MAKE UP TO $1 MILLION DOLLARS FROM CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS IN CUMULATIVE SALARY. YES ON 27 is a chance for the voters of California to say “enough is enough.” GOVERNOR, YOU MAY MEAN WELL, but no more money should be wasted on your nonsense games of reapportionment.

Governor, OUR STATE IS BANKRUPT, UNEMPLOYMENT IS OVER 12%, OUR LUSH BREADBASKET OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY IS WITHOUT WATER, EVERYTHING IS MESSED UP. Yet you still obsess on the political game of reapportionment?

Look at the mess we have with Schwarzenegger's plan, the law following his 2008 proposition:

– Under Schwarzenegger's plan, three randomly selected accountants choose the fourteen un-elected commissioners to head a bureaucracy with the power to decide who is to represent us. Unlike the Schwarzenegger plan, YES ON 27 WILL ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO MAKE THE DECISIONS ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE VOTERS. 27 IS THE ONLY REFORM PROPOSAL WITH ACCOUNTABILITY.

–Under Schwarzenegger's plan, voters can be denied the right to pass a referendum against unfair Congressional district gerrymanders. A referendum means that we, the voters, have a right to say “no” to the Legislature and “no” to a statute with which we disagree. Unlike the Schwarzenegger plan, YES ON 27 ENSURES THAT VOTERS WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE ANY REDISTRICTING PLAN (INCLUDING THE CONGRESSIONAL PLAN). VOTERS SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE THE FINAL VOICE.

–Under Schwarzenegger's plan, some people can count more than others—one district could have almost a million more people than another. There is a reason why, for centuries, districts like that have been called ROTTEN BOROUGHS. This practice must be stopped. Unlike the Schwarzenegger plan, YES ON 27 will ensure that all districts are precisely the same size and that every person counts equally.

Governor Schwarzenegger, what are you thinking? Non–partisan experts have concluded that YES ON PROP. 27 saves taxpayer dollars:

“Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Likely DECREASE IN STATE REDISTRICTING COSTS TOTALING SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS EVERY TEN YEARS.”

Let's stop wasting taxpayer dollars. Let's end the political reapportionment games. YES ON PROPOSITION 27!

DANIEL H. LOWENSTEIN, Founding Chairman
California Fair Political Practices Commission
HANK LACAYO, President
Congress of California Seniors

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF PROPOSITION 27

San Francisco Chronicle editor John Diaz says Prop. 27 is really the “Incumbent Protection Act.”

POLITICIANS behind Proposition 27 are very angry that voters took away their power to draw districts to guarantee their reelection when VOTERS passed Proposition 11 and established the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

That's why the politicians and special interests will spend millions to pass 27 and ELIMINATE THE CITIZENS COMMISSION, comprised of voters from around the state.

One thing they got right in their argument is that California is broken.

California is broken because POLITICIANS AREN'T ACCOUNTABLE TO VOTERS SO THEY DON'T WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.

Instead, the politicians would rather mislead voters with ridiculous claims.

FACT: No one is making a “million dollars.” The voter-approved citizens commission ONLY DRAWS MAPS ONCE EVERY TEN YEARS and commissioners make only a modest stipend per day when they work. That's why taxpayer and good government groups support the Commission and oppose 27.

“Based on Sacramento history, the independent commission won't spend any more money on redistricting than the Legislature has, and its meetings will be open, unlike the lawmakers' plotting behind locked doors.”—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times

FACT: Unlike the old system, where politicians carved up communities, cities and counties behind closed doors, the Citizens Redistricting Commission must meet in public with complete transparency.

FACT: Voters ALREADY have the power to challenge redistricting by referendum.

Read and study it for yourself: www.noprop27.org

STOP THE POLITICIANS' POWER GRAB: NO ON 27.

KATHAY FENG, Executive Director
California Common Cause
RUBEN GUERRA, President
Latin Business Association
JOEL FOX, President
Small Business Action Committee

ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 27

We have a clear choice to make with Proposition 27.

Next year, new election districts will be drawn.

If we vote “NO” on Proposition 27, legislative districts are drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission voters approved in 2008.

If we vote “yes” on Proposition 27, the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission will be eliminated and Sacramento politicians will draw their own districts to protect their jobs, just like they've done in the past.

NO ON 27—STOP POLITICIANS FROM GUTTING VOTER-APPROVED REFORMS

In 2008, voters passed Proposition 11—ending the practice of legislators drawing their own election districts so they'd be elected year after year, having little incentive to solve problems, and remaining unaccountable to voters.

Under Proposition 11, voters created the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw fair districts so legislators would be accountable to voters. The commission is completely transparent and includes Democrats, Republicans and independents and must be representative of all Californians. Learn more: www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov

Now a who's who list of incumbent politicians has used millions of special interest dollars to bankroll Proposition 27 so they can kill voter–approved redistricting reforms and return the drawing of districts to politicians. They'll spend and say whatever it takes to pass Proposition 27 so they can remain unaccountable to voters.

NO ON 27—STOP BACKROOM DEALS THAT PROTECT POLITICIANS, HURT VOTERS

The Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register revealed that in the last redistricting, politicians paid one political consultant over ONE MILLION dollars to draw districts to protect their seats.

With Prop. 27, politicians want to return us to the days when legislators hired consultants to draw bizarrely–shaped districts behind closed doors, dividing up cities and communities just to guarantee their reelection.

“By pushing Proposition 27, politicians want to silence voters so they don‘t have to address the tough problems our state faces.”—Maria Luisa Vela, Los Angeles Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

THE POLITICIANS' CLAIMS DON'T STAND UP

Proposition 27 is not about saving money. Politicians want safe districts and will spend every taxpayer and special interest dollar they can to bankroll consultants and draw district lines to protect themselves.

And Proposition 27 is not about empowering voters. Voters can ALREADY reject legislative redistricting plans through the referendum process, regardless of Prop. 27.

Proposition 27 is really about the politicians wanting to keep power!

“Voters approved redistricting reforms to make the system fair—we need to stop politicians from passing Proposition 27 and taking us back to the days when politicians drew districts to protect themselves.”—Kathay Feng, California Common Cause

Redistricting WILL happen in 2011. The question is whether it will be done by an INDEPENDENT CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION or by POLITICIANS seeking to keep themselves in office.

  • NO on Proposition 27 keeps the power with voters and the voter–approved independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
  • Yes on Proposition 27 gives power back to Sacramento politicians to draw districts so they're virtually guaranteed reelection.

Vote “NO” on Proposition 27.

www.NoProp27.org

JANIS R. HIROHAMA, President
League of Women Voters of California
DAVID PACHECO, California President AARP
GARY TOEBBEN, President
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST PROPOSITION 27

Current redistricting law wastes millions of taxpayer dollars and gives another unaccountable bureaucracy overwhelming power. VOTE YES ON 27 TO SAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND TO END NONSENSE REAPPORTIONMENT GAMES.

No matter how many false and misleading statements are made by the opponents of this reform, FOUR facts are unambiguously true:

1) Proposition 27 saves taxpayer dollars. Non–partisan experts have concluded that YES ON PROP. 27 saves taxpayer dollars:
“Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: LIKELY DECREASE IN STATE REDISTRICTING COSTS TOTALING SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS EVERY TEN YEARS.”
2) Proposition 27 empowers voters. In 2001, the politicians in the State Legislature conspired to stop the voters from exercising their right to say “no” to a redistricting statute. Prop. 27 prohibits the State Legislature from preventing a referendum on the ballot that would reject a Congressional redistricting.
3) Proposition 27 mandates one person, one vote districts. Current law allows population variations of as much as 1,000,000 people per district!
4) NOT A SINGLE MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE HAD ANY SAY ON HOW PROPOSITION 27 WAS WRITTEN. No wonder Prop. 27 has the strongest controls on the costs and the integrity of the process.

California is in crisis. We are broke, deeply in debt, unemployment is far too high, our environment is deteriorating. Proposition 27 is the chance for voters to say “Enough is enough! Stop wasting taxpayer dollars on nonsense.” Vote Yes on 27.

MARK MURRAY, Executive Director
Californians Against Waste
DANIEL H. LOWENSTEIN, Founding Chairman
California Fair Political Practices Commission

Arguments printed on this page are the opinions of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency.

Back to top Back to the Top