Tidbits: Back To Work
Now that the effects of all of that tryptophan-laced turkey have worn off, it's back to the trenches.
WHO'S IN YOUR COMMUNITY? One of the more intriguing parts of the political redistricting debate has always been defining one's community of interest. Those in favor of changing the way political maps are drawn often say that such communities shouldn't be sliced into separate districts when it comes to electing representatives in the Legislature and Congress. Trouble is, there's no great definition of a community of interest; is it your city and county, or rather is it the people in your region that think like you do?
One group that's examining the issue is the CommonCensus Map Project, which hopes to gather info through surveys of citizens. (Their site is here, and a blogging hat-tip to the folks at Claremont McKenna College's Rose Institute for the information). Whether this research turns out to be valid remains unknown... but just a quick glance at the California map suggests that like-minded people aren't bound by traditional borders. And that's one of the challenges for drawing political maps that allow full participation by all.
WATER WORKS: Governor Schwarzenegger and the four leaders of the Legislature are scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss a possible multi-billion dollar water bond ballot measure. Negotiations have been... well, fluid... for some time. Last week, Senate President pro Tem Don Perata released a statement implying that a deal on the issue may not happen until 2008.
LOS ANGELES VOTING MACHINES: A formal hearing was held this morning to determine whether Los Angeles County can use its existing election system for the 2008 elections. LA is home to roughly one in every four of the state's registered voters, so the stakes are high. County elections officials have a system that was largely "home grown"-- in other words, a elections system they had developed specifically for LA. Secretary of State Debra Bowen will have to decide whether to approve, reject, or approve with specific conditions the system for the February 5 primary.
