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Congressman Berman Tries to Buy District Lines |
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POLITICS
By Paul Hatfield (Posted first at Villiage to Village0
Ho ward Berman is my Congressman and lives in my community of Valley Village. I suppose he is my constituent as much as I am his owing to my post on the Neighborhood Council Valley Village. It saddens me he is putting his self interests above respect for the people he serves.
You may recall Proposition 11 passed last year. It authorized a citizens’ commission to redraw the gerrymandered California legislative district lines rather than the political hacks and consultants who have been doing it - including none other than Congressman Berman’s brother Michael.
Now there is a move afoot to trample citizens’ involvement and undo Proposition 11.
“News reports reveal that Daniel Lowenstein, proponent of the so-called Financial Accountability in Redistricting Act (FAIR), which would return power to legislators to draw legislative and board of equalization districts, has admitted that the actual sponsors of the measure are Congressman Howard Berman and his brother Michael, a redistricting consultant who has made millions drawing election districts to protect incumbent politicians,” according to a post in AARP California web site. [LINK]
The Congressman is putting money on it – $10,000 to be exact. He is not alone. Here’s the complete list of contributors to the “FAIR” measure:
Karen Bass $50,000; Alex Padilla $15,000; Linda Sanchez $25,000; Nancy Pelosi $10,000; Mike Honda $10,000; Diane Watson $10,000; Howard Berman $10,000; Judy Chu $10,000.
Berman and his allies are not only trying to block Proposition 11, but also prevent the same commission from redrawing Congressional Districts - as called for by another proposed measure, which may also be on the ballot this fall.
According to George Skelton in his LA Times piece: [LINK] “The odds are that Prop. 11 will survive. The repeal effort is blatantly cynical, and Californians probably will see through the bunkum. But this election year is unpredictable.”
Others feel the same way: “We find it appalling that California politicians are so blatantly working to dismantle accountability and protect the dysfunctional status quo by funding the effort to overturn voter-approved redistricting reforms,” said Trudy Schafer, Program Director for the League of Women Voters of California. “Gutting Prop. 11 would be a giant step in the wrong direction for our state. We are confident voters are prepared to send a very strong ‘get lost’ message to the supporters and proponents of this scheme,” according to the AARP post.
Both measures, FAIR and the one to extend the Commission’s authority to Congressional Districts, still need to gather signatures.
(Paul Hatfield is a CPA and serves as Treasurer for the Neighborhood Council Valley Village. Read more Paul Hatfield at Villagetovillageblog.com . He can be reached at
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CityWatch
Vol 8 Issue 20
Pub: Mar 12, 2010
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