The Interocitor

Democrats Sue to Block Remap Initiative

AP reports that Attorney General Lockyer has refused to support the Secretary of State's attempt to reconcile minor differences in Prop 77, the Redistricting Initiative, and has instead sued the Secretary of State to remove the initiative entirely.

Apparently the version submitted to the voters for signature was a slightly different draft than the one submitted to the AG for review. No substantive changes were made, the greatest being that some time frames were a day longer in one version than another. However, the Democrats do not want to give up their iron grip over redistricting -- the gerrymander is the difference between a slim majority and overwhelming control.

In negotiations with the Governor the most they've been willing to offer is a citizen's panel -- of which they choose a majority. They refuse also to bar use of precinct voting results and party registration figures in the "citizen" panel's remap efforts. And no remap before 2010 (and probably not then because they'll sue at the last moment over some poison they've hidden in it). Etc.

The fly in this ointment is the nearly one million California voters who are tired of rigged elections and corrupt politicians and signed the Prop 77 petitions. So the Democrat machine trots out their pocket attorney general to knock the damn thing off the ballot, lest the People interfere with the machine's gravy train.

Seems Lockyer and Shelley tried this during the recall of Governor Davis. Didn't work, and Davis is long gone. So is Shelley, matter of fact. According to Costa, they always try suing as a last resort.

Why is it that Democrats fear the People so?

UPDATE: Here's the LA Times article on Prop 77. Flap's blog has a different take -- he feels that reapportionment is something that can wait.