Gerrymanders Cause Corruption – Unless Done by the G.O.P.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

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

The hypocritical editors of the San Diego Union-Tribune now want to blame what they see as unethical behavior on districts where one party’s registration dominates. The absence of two-party competition leaves invulnerable politicians able to loot at will, according to the Union-Tribune.

This is nonsense, as the editors must know.

An incumbent who outrages public decency would be subject to competition in his or her own party primary, no? The classic case is Rep. John Doolittle. Bad publicity has led to the drying up of his contributor base and the presence of a young shark of his own party taking him on.

When the outrage expressed by editors isn’t shared by voters in an official’s district, then nothing happens. That’s often appropriate as well.

For the Union Tribune to blame redistricting is simply hypocritical. Where are the editorials blaming gerrymandering for the absurd situation of five Anglo Republicans sitting on the Board of Supervisors. That’s hard to do considering San Diego is a Democratic city. Harder still to draw seats where Hispanics and African-Americans are effectively disenfranchised. But the Board managed to do it.

Because that benefited Republican candidates, it’s not a ‘gerrymander’ in the eyes of the Union-Tribune.

Understandable. This is the paper that evaluated the partisan candidates in the County by saying voters should simply vote “straight Republican”.

Little wonder, then, that surveys taken in San Diego consistently show fewer than 40% of the voters place trust in the Union-Tribune’s opinions.

Following the Union-Tribune’s logic, the lack of two-party competition must have corrupted Assemblyman George Plescia while elevating the ethics of Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia.

Only someone who trusted the Union-Tribune could believe that.

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 October 21st, 2007 by Syndicated