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Cavala: Republican Redistricting Scheme Loses Fig Leaf as the California Democratic Party Votes to Oppose It

towashington 089.gif By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

The Sycuan Band of Native Americans, former Assemblyman Fred Keeley and Leon Panetta, also a former Congressman are all Democrats who support the Governor’s redistricting scheme. The California Democratic Party – the legal body representing the
16,123,787 voters registered as Democrats – opposes that scheme.

Will the press corps seize upon the half dozen or so big-name Democratic supporters of the Governor’s scheme to label it “bi-partisan”? You betcha.

Panetta is fronting a group of big money people self-labeled “moderates”. But his support of redistricting ‘reform’ is suspicious. It was Panetta, through his two legislative representatives, the late Senator Henry Mello and the current Congressman from the area, Sam Farr, who held up the redistricting plan ultimately passed by Democratic votes and signed into law by then Governor Brown. This was the plan that kept Ronald Reagan and the Republicans from taking over the House of Representatives in 1982. Panetta’s insistence forced changes in the population of his and adjacent seats that would have made the entire plan vulnerable to the litigation to which it was ultimately subjected. Rather than run that risk, Speaker Brown prevailed upon then Secretary of State March Fong to “redo” Panetta’s district after-the-fact, reversing the change he had insisted upon.

Panetta has been for “reform” ever since.

Fred Keeley joins him for similar reasons. In the 2001 redistricting, the termed out Keeley sought to have a Senate seat located over his political base. Speaker Hertzberg chose instead to locate one over the base of ally Dennis Cardoza – a seat lost to the
Democrats when Cardoza chose instead to take on wounded incumbent Rep. Gary Condit. The spurned Keeley has been a proponent of redistricting “reform” ever since.

One can only speculate as to the “good government” motives of the Sycuan Band of Native Americans.

As to the Democratic activists who assembled over the weekend who voted overwhelmingly to oppose the initiative, their motive was clear: they don’t like changes in the rules that benefit Republicans at the expense of Democratic values and Democratic
officeholders.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.

He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and including Speaker Fabian Nunez.

Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Posted on June 18, 2008

Comments

So it’s insider politics as usual….
Ever wonder what Bill Cavala’s beef is against redistricting reform? Just follow the money – he’s a long time consultant whose business booms every 10 years when redistricting comes around. Why? He and a couple of other insiders get to draw all the districts. He is constantly trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes by claiming this initiative is a Republican power-grab. What he can never admit is that this is not about Democrats or Republicans. This is about the party elite vs. Democratic grassroots. God forbid anyone try to encroach on his lucrative business of hand-picking which Democrats get to run in what districts!!!

Posted by: Whistle Blower at June 18, 2008 09:53 PM

Whistle Blower: FYI: Bill has worked for the California State legislature as an employee and not as a consultant until about the last three years. His salary has not increased every 10 years as you blithely assert.

Posted by: Frank D. Russo at June 19, 2008 06:17 AM

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