AIRC hearing in Mesa Wednesday evening

It's fairly short notice, because it wasn't on the original list of the second round of hearings announced by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC), but on Wednesday (tomorrow as I write this, "today" as many of you read it), the AIRC will hold a meeting to solicit public input on their draft maps for the next decade's Congressional and legislative districts.

Details:

Time - 6 p.m.

Place - Mesa Convention Center, Palo Verde I Building B Main Campus, 263 North Center St., Mesa, AZ 85201

If you are travelling to Mesa from the west, the easiest route is Loop 202 east to Country Club/SR87, turn right/south on Country Club to University.  Turn left/east on University, travelling to Center St.  Turn right/south on Center, travelling approximately 1/10 of a mile to #263.

Less easy (but not difficult) is US60 east to Country Club, turn left/north on Country Club.  Travel to Broadway, turning right/east on Broadway.  Travel east to Center, turning left/north on Center.  Travel to #263 (approximately .9 miles).

Or you can just use the GPS system in your car or on your phone.  :)

However you get there though, it's worth a couple of hours of your time.

Schedule For The Second Round Of Redistricting Hearings Announced

In addition to its business meetings, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) holds two series of public hearings all over the state.

During the first round of hearings, they solicited public input on what the AIRC should consider when drawing up maps.

Now, they've completed a draft map of Congressional districts and will have a draft map for legislative districts by the end of the weekend.

During the second round of public hearings, they'll accept feedback on those draft maps, and suggestions for changes to the maps.  Most of the suggestions won't be turned into changes to the maps (if only because many will be contradictory), but some will.

The schedule of hearings (start time 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted),  All are subject to change, so check 48 hours beforehand before making travel plans:

Tuesday, October 11 -

Phoenix College
Auditorium
1202 W. Thomas Road
Phoenix, AZ 85044


Wednesday, October 12 -

Best Western Payson Inn
801 North Beeline Highway 87
Payson, AZ 85547


Thursday, October 13 -

Flagstaff City Hall
Council Chambers
211 West Aspen Avenue
Flagstaff, AZ 86001


Friday, October 14 -

Navajo Nation Museum
Highway 264 and Loop Road
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Start time: 1 p.m. MDT/Noon MST


Saturday, October 15 -

Navajo Nation Museum
Highway 264 and Loop Road
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Start time: 9 a.m.


Saturday, October 15 -

Hon Dah Resort – Casino
Mt. Baldy Room
777 Hwy 260
Pinetop, AZ 85935
Start time: 3 p.m.


Monday, October 17 -

Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites
Junction Hwy 160
Tuba City, AZ 86045
Start time: 10 a.m. MDT/9 a.m. MST

Prescott Valley Public Library
Council Chambers/Auditorium
7401 E. Civic Circle
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
Start time: 6 p.m.


Tuesday, October 18 -

Chandler City Hall
Council Chambers
175 S. Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85244


Wednesday, October 19 -

Bullhead City Council Chambers
1255 Marina Boulevard
Bullhead City, AZ 86422


Thursday, October 20 -

Maryvale High School
Auditorium
3415 N. 59th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85033


Friday, October 21 -

Apache Gold Casino Resort
5 miles East of Globe on Highway 70
San Carlos, AZ 85550
Start time:  11 a.m.

City of Globe
Location TBA
Start time: 6 p.m.


Saturday, October 22 -

West View High School
10850 W. Garden Lakes Parkway
Avondale, AZ 85392
Start time: 1 p.m.


Monday, October 24 -

Tohono O’odham Utility Authority Conference Room
Hwy 86 Mile Post 112
Sells, AZ 85634
Start time 11 a.m.

University of Arizona
Student Union Memorial Center
North Ballroom
1303 E. University Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85721
Start time 6 p.m.


Tuesday, October 25 -

Buena Performing Arts Center (Buena High School)
5225 Buena School Boulevard
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635


Wednesday, October 26 -

Holiday Inn
777 N. Pinal Avenue
Casa Grande, AZ 85122


Thursday, October 27 -

Eastern Arizona College
615 N. Stadium Ave.
Thatcher, AZ 85552


Friday, October 28 -

Americana Hotel
639 N. Grand Avenue
Nogales, AZ 85621


Saturday, October 29 -

Yuma City Hall
City Council Chambers One City Plaza
Yuma, AZ 85364
Start time: 1 p.m.
 
 
Tuesday, November 1 -
 
South Mountain Community College
7050 South 24th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85402


Wednesday, November 2 -

City of Peoria
Location TBA


Thursday, November 3 - 

Granite Reef Senior Center
1700 North Granite Reef Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85257


Friday, November 4 -

Town of Marana
Marana Municipal Complex
Auditorium
11555 W. Civic Center Drive
Marana, AZ 85653


Saturday, November 5 -

Town of Green Valley
Location TBA
Start time: 10 a.m.

AIRC meeting in Tempe this weekend: Be there or risk being in a "safe" district

..."Safe" for the other side, that is...

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has meetings scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday to work on a legislative districts draft map.

It's safe to bet that the Republicans and their tea party proxies will be out in force (though given that Sunday's meeting will be during prime football watching time, that force may be slightly smaller :) ), so a healthy presence of people who support both competitive districts and protecting communities of interest (no matter how much the Rs like to stamp their feet and whine otherwise, those are hardly mutually exclusive objectives).

Any folks who want to see Tempe basically stay in one LD (currently, it's mostly covered by LD17, with the far southern part in LD20) need to be there.

Both meetings will be at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel, 1600 S. 52nd Street, Tempe, AZ 85281 (NW corner of Broadway and 52nd St., near I-10).

Saturday's agenda is here: the meeting starts at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday's agenda is here; the meeting starts at 1 p.m.

Hell hath no fury...

...like Arizona Republicans who are afraid they might actually have to run on the merits of their positions and their skills as candidates.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has released a "draft" map of Congressional districts.  Based on preliminary numbers ("preliminary" because the district lines will change, at least a little bit, after the next round of public hearings, starting next week), there are four districts that are basically "safe" Republican, two districts that are basically "safe" Democratic, and three districts that are competitive.

Personally, I think the people of Arizona in general (and every non-Republican in particular, which is 2/3 of the state) are done a disservice by this draft map.  A better map would have three safe R districts, two safe D districts, and four truly competitive ones was and is an attainable goal.

However, I'm not going to whine about it.  I'm just going to spend time this weekend working up a map that meets that objective while also adhering to the other criteria mandated by the Arizona constitution.

However2, I'm not going to let my unwillingness to whine stop me from mocking Republican whining.

Nope, not at all.

:)

First up on the hit parade:  Governor Jan Brewer.

She put out a press release today on the official governor's website that wasn't exactly a prime example of non-partisanship.

From her press release (and my responses) -

"The IRC proposal is simply gerrymandering at its worst," said Governor Brewer. "This unaccountable, unelected Commission has misused its authority to draw a congressional map that is every Democrat‟s dream. In doing so, they‟ve violated their bedrock legal requirements to maintain districts that protect communities of interest and are geographically compact."

"Unaccountable"?  Only to the law.  Something that Jan and her clan may not have much respect for, but the law is something that most of rest of us have a deep respect for.

"Unelected"?  Perhaps, but that was the idea behind the creation of the AIRC by the voters - take redistricting out of the hands of elected officials who are more concerned with keeping their jobs than doing what is best for Arizona.  In addition, while the members of the AIRC are "unelected," they are appointed by elected officials after betting vetted and screened by a commission headed up by the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

As for her allegation that the primary concerns for the AIRC are to protect "communities of interest" and create districts that are "geographically compact"?

From Article Four, Part Two, Section One of the Arizona Constitution -

14) The independent redistricting commission shall establish congressional and legislative districts. The commencement of the mapping process for both the congressional and legislative districts shall be the creation of districts of equal population in a grid-like pattern across the state. Adjustments to the grid shall then be made as necessary to accommodate the goals as set forth below:



A. Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution and the United States voting rights act;


B. Congressional districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable, and state legislative districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable;


C. Districts shall be geographically compact and contiguous to the extent practicable;


D. District boundaries shall respect communities of interest to the extent practicable;


E. To the extent practicable, district lines shall use visible geographic features, city, town and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts;


F. To the extent practicable, competitive districts should be favored where to do so would create no significant detriment to the other goals.

All of those criteria are equal in importance in terms of the redistricting process, and I'm betting that Brewer and her handlers know that.  They're just ignoring that inconvenient fact.

From the press release:

This new proposal, however, throws that concept out the window – completely rewriting Arizona‟s congressional lines in a move that splits counties and communities and tosses large numbers of voters and sitting members of Congress into new districts.

Duh.  (That's my high school debating experience showing through there...oh wait - my HS didn't have a debate team. :) )

Also, take a look at the current map, one that Republicans love.  Many communities and most counties are split into two or more districts.  With Arizona's population pattern of incredibly densely populated areas in metro Phoenix and Tucson while most of the rest of the state is incredibly sparsely populated, splits are going to happen.

I was going to analyze and rebut similar press releases from many of the Republicans in AZ's Congressional delegation, but they were too....similar.

Similar to the point of obviously being part of a coordinated disinformation campaign, and similar to the point of possibly being written by the same person.

Remember English 101? 

Do a compare-and-contrast exercise - David Schweikert's press release is here; Jeff Flake's is here; Paul Gosar's is here; John McCain's and Jon Kyl's is here; Ben Quayle's is here; and for good measure (guess he didn't want to feel left out), a statement by Andy Tobin, speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, is here.

Note: all of the above statements courtesy the Republican press release outlet blog Sonoran Alliance.

Andrei Cherny, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, issued his own statement in response to the Republican blitzkrieg against the AIRC.  I won't reprint the entire statement, but here is the final line, and it sums up my thoughts far more concisely than my own words can -

"The only reason 50/50 districts are a threat to Republican electoral prospects is because of the extreme, out-of-touch agenda that Arizona Republican leaders have been pursuing. Gov. Brewer should spend less time on bullying and more on job creation, and substitute real leadership for these partisan attacks. It is beneath the dignity of the governorship and not in keeping with the best interests of the state.”

Later...


Ummm...redistricting is supposed to rewrite district lines and to move voters and sitting elected officials into new districts.  That is why it's called "redistricting."A mix of outright lies and lies of omission.

Let the AIRC know *now* that you support competitive districts

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) and its redistricting process is entering the "nitty-gritty" part of the redistricting process.

They're sparring over individual districts as they prepare draft map proposals for public comment hearings, starting October 10.

While I refer to them as "draft" maps, they are actually the baseline maps of the next legislative and Congressional districts.  While tweaks will be made based on public input, the basic outlines and character of the districts won't change much.

Once the "draft" maps are published, it will be almost impossible to make uncompetitive districts more competitive. Individual precincts and neighborhoods might be moved between districts, but wholesale changes are unlikely.



As such, now is the last chance for people who are interested in helping Arizona as a whole move forward to add their voices in support of more competitive districts. 

The AIRC's online input page is here; the agenda for Monday's meeting is here (relevant info: the meeting will start at 9 a.m. at the Fiesta Inn Resort at the SW corner of Priest and Broadway in Tempe).

Earlier today, I submitted a comment in support of increasing the number of competitive Congressional districts.

Here it is -

Chair Mathis and Commissioners Freeman, Herrera, McNulty, and Stertz,

Thank you for volunteering your time and energy to helping Arizona prepare its legislative and Congressional district maps for the next decade. It may be hard to see because of the pressures brought to bear on you, but we truly appreciate the sacrifice you are making for the state.

Today, I am writing to you to urge you to create four competitive Congressional districts.
During the past few months, you have heard from dozens of people suggesting that the AIRC's highest priority should be the protection of communities of interest.

Some of those people support genuine communities of interest (i.e. - Native American reservations), some support communities that are less well-defined (i.e. - a particular neighborhood in a particular city or county), and still others support "communities of interest" that are utterly irrelevant to the factors considered in the redistricting process (i.e. - partisan elected officials looking to keep their jobs while expending the least amount of effort necessary to accomplish that goal).

What none of them mention is that Arizona as a whole is a community of interest, and it and all of the sub-communities within it benefit from having the maximum number of elected officials who consider the needs and desires of the general electorate, not just the people who vote in primary elections.

Under the most recent proposed map of Congressional districts that I've seen before the Commission, only two districts would actually be competitive. The other seven would guarantee that the winner of a partisan primary would not have to worry about the general election.

That's not a situation that benefits Arizona.

It isn't the job of the AIRC to protect incumbent officeholders.

If that is what the voters wanted, "AIRC" would stand for "Arizona Incumbent Reassurance Commission" and the members would have to spend their days holding the hands of various elected officials while saying "There, there. It's only redistricting. It will only sting for a moment, then you're home free for another ten years."

Instead, "AIRC" stands for "Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission" and the members spend their days and evenings listening to people from all over the state express their concerns, desires, and hopes for the state.

Four competitive districts is an achievable goal, and one that can be achieved while complying with the Voting Rights Act and the other factors that the Commission must consider.

Satisfied elected officials is *not* one of those factors.

Again, thank you for your time and sacrifice.

Note:  It's probably OK to be less wordy than me.  It might even be a good idea.  :)

Note2: Once the schedule of the second round of public hearings is posted, I'll post it here as will Steve at Arizona Eagletarian (he's been doing a great job of covering the AIRC; I heartily recommend bookmarking his site).

Upcoming meetings...

For what is normally a relatively quiet time of the year in AZ politics, there sure are some interesting meetings coming up...OK, two or three interesting meetings, and interesting mostly if you're a political geek.  :)

...The Ethics Committee of the Arizona Senate will meet Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in SHR1 to discuss Sen. Scott Bundgaard's situation.

...The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) hasn't officially announced any meetings this week as yet, but they have tentatively scheduled meetings in Casa Grande for Thursday and Friday.

Edit to add:  According to a message from Steve at Arizona Eagletarian, it looks as if the meetings will actually be held at the Wild Horse Pass Resort just south of Chandler.  If you plan on attending one or both meetings, check with the AIRC to confirm the location (though Steve is pretty dialed in on redistricting - if he says "Wild Horse Pass", it's almost certainly going to be Wild Horse Pass).


End edit.

...The Joint Legislative Study Committee on Outcome-Based Education Funding will meet on Friday at 10 a.m. in HHR3.  The co-chairs of the committee are Sen. Sylvia Allen and Rep. Chester Crandell.  Neither is known as a staunch advocate for (or even *of*) education.  This seems like an exercise in legislative Republicans looking for ever more creative ways to justify defunding public education, but perhaps I'm just being cynical. 

...The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has two special open meeting scheduled for this week.  On Monday, they'll be meeting at 2 p.m. to solicit and accept public comment on proposed amendments to some pipeline safety rules; on Friday, Commissioner Paul Newman will be holding a workshop/information session on trends and developments in solar power.

Both meetings will be held at the ACC's offices in Phoenix.

...The Scottsdale City Council will meet Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Kiva.  Scottsdale's Community Meeting notice is here.

...The Tempe City Council will meet Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.  Tempe's Council Calendar is here.

Republican strategy for controlling the redistricting process: misinformation, lies, and outright intimidation

Once it became clear that the current edition of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) was actually *independent*, unlike the first version set up after the 2000 census, Arizona Republicans have pulled out all the stops in a desperate attempt to gain control the independent redistricting process.

A good summary of recent events from the NY Times' Marc Lacey is here.

Over the summer, they tried to flood AIRC meetings with "grassroots" tea party types who blustered and shouted and whined and threatened and more in an effort to bully the AIRC into submission.  Just about all that the effort accomplished was to inspire an increased law enforcement presence at the AIRC's meetings and hearings.

As summer turns into fall (though fall in AZ is hotter than the hottest part of summer pretty much anywhere else in the US), the Republicans are turning to less subtle schemes (not that mobs of tea party types are exactly "subtle" ).

This past week, AZ Attorney General, Republican Tom Horne filed a motion in Maricopa County Superior Court to compel the Independent chair and the two Democratic members of the AIRC to cooperate with his "investigation" of the commission.

Horne has touted the testimony of the two Republican members of the commission as the basis of his investigation.

This past week, he made an appearance on PBS' Horizon program and began to make the rounds of Republican clubs and organizations to publicize his part in the attacks on the AIRC.  His move to publicly assail the AIRC seem calculated to both intimidate the AIRC and to bolster his 2014 bid for governor.

Thursday night, Horne "briefed" the LD8 Republicans at their monthly meeting in the auditorium of the Civic Center branch of the Scottsdale Public Library.

Not having met my BS quota for the week even after watching the R presidential debate Wednesday, I decided to attend the meeting.

State Sen. Michele Reagan at the LD8 Republican meeting, September 8, 2011

 Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne at the meeting of the LD8 Republicans, September 8, 2011

Quota met, and not just from Horne.

When Horne wasn't dog whistling for his base (trashing the Tucson school district's ethnic studies program or repeatedly justifying non-enforcement of civil rights laws with "it's not a crime to not speak Spanish!"), he was puffing up himself on the basis of his use of his office to distract and undermine the AIRC.

His talk was basically a rehash of the talking points he spouted on Horizon ("Terry Goddard is trying to intimidate me!"), but state Sen. Michelle Reagan (R-LD8) was a revelation.

She looked her constituents straight in the eye and lied to them about the redistricting process.

She stated that the recently released grid maps were crafted to create competitive districts, when in fact, they were designed solely based on population.

She stated that the AIRC "was out to destroy" LD8 because it is so overwhelmingly Republican, when in fact, I've never heard the AIRC say anything about any current individual district.

She stated that the Democrats were "giddy" and "in cahoots" with the AIRC, when in fact...oh wait - she used the word "cahoots"?  Is Reagan a 21st century elected official, or an extra from a 1940s B Western?

She then used the lies as the foundation of her appeal to the audience.  She wanted them to submit comments to the AIRC in support of protecting "communities of interest."

For some reason, I don't think she is interested in protecting south Phoenix or Guadalupe. :)

Then on Friday, Republican blogger/custom press release writer Greg Patterson put up a post at his blog, Espresso Pundit.  While the post is one that, on the surface, appears to criticize

There aren't many lies of commission in it, but it's loaded with misinformation and lies of omission.

Among the things that he states is that the current districts were drawn by the first incarnation of the AIRC, which is true.

As far as it goes.

What he doesn't say (the "lie of omission" part) is that the first AIRC wasn't truly independent.  The "independent" chair was widely known to be a Republican in everything but registration and one of the Democratic members was there solely to protect then-state senator Jack Brown in the northeastern part of the state.  Once that goal was met, that particular member went along with pretty much anything the Republicans wanted.

There it is - the grand Republican scheme for gaining control of the redistricting process.

The most dangerous part of the scheme is Horne's use of his office for partisan gain.

The thing is, it doesn't just endanger the AIRC or the state.

Tom Horne is basing his "investigation" on the testimony of one of the Republican members of the AIRC who has some serious problems when it comes to telling "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Between things like that and his blatant misuse of the office, he could be setting himself up to be the first AG in Arizona history to be disbarred while in office.

One other observation from Thursday's meeting:

Horne boasted about how he promised to "strictly enforce all laws" during his campaign for Attorney General last year and that he has done so. 

However, he made no mention of an investigation into the AIRC application of Rick Stertz, the truth-averse appointee of Senate President Russell Pearce.

In Horne's defense, perhaps what he really meant to promise was to strictly enforce all laws against non-whites, non-rich, and/or non-politically connected Arizonans.

I'm beginning to believe that Arizona's Republican lawmakers really *don't* understand the rule of law...

For the longest time, I thought that the lies and disinformation spouted by the Rs concerning AIRC were just that, lies and disinformation, and calculated to both rouse their base and to inoculate themselves from blame for not properly preparing for the redistricting process.


I thought that while many members of their base were ignorant of the provisions in the AZ Constitution (and that's not a partisan shot - most people are unfamiliar with most of the specifics in the state's constitution), the electeds spouting off actually knew the truth, they just chose to ignore it for political purposes.


Turns out I may have been in error.

From the Facebook page of Rep. Terri Proud (R-LD26) -

Check out the comment from Rep. Brenda Barton (R-LD5) regarding the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (highlighted in yellow above) -

Commissioner Herrera is not qualified to sit on this Board. This IRC is a violation of the Arizona Constitution in which we are guaranteed a '..republican form of government'

Ummm....yeah.



From the Article Four, Part Two, Section One of the Arizona *Constitution* -

(3) By February 28 of each year that ends in one, an independent redistricting commission shall be established to provide for the redistricting of congressional and state legislative districts. The independent redistricting commission shall consist of five members. No more than two members of the independent redistricting commission shall be members of the same political party. Of the first four members appointed, no more than two shall reside in the same county. Each member shall be a registered Arizona voter who has been continuously registered with the same political party or registered as unaffiliated with a political party for three or more years immediately preceding appointment, who is committed to applying the provisions of this section in an honest, independent and impartial fashion and to upholding public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process. Within the three years previous to appointment, members shall not have been appointed to, elected to, or a candidate for any other public office, including precinct committeeman or committeewoman but not including school board member or officer, and shall not have served as an officer of a political party, or served as a registered paid lobbyist or as an officer of a candidate's campaign committee.

(4) The commission on appellate court appointments shall nominate candidates for appointment to the independent redistricting commission, except that, if a politically balanced commission exists whose members are nominated by the commission on appellate court appointments and whose regular duties relate to the elective process, the commission on appellate court appointments may delegate to such existing commission (hereinafter called the commission on appellate court appointments' designee) the duty of nominating members for the independent redistricting commission, and all other duties assigned to the commission on appellate court appointments in this section.

(5) By January 8 of years ending in one, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee shall establish a pool of persons who are willing to serve on and are qualified for appointment to the independent redistricting commission. The pool of candidates shall consist of twenty-five nominees, with ten nominees from each of the two largest political parties in Arizona based on party registration, and five who are not registered with either of the two largest political parties in Arizona.

(6) Appointments to the independent redistricting commission shall be made in the order set forth below. No later than January 31 of years ending in one, the highest ranking officer elected by the Arizona house of representatives shall make one appointment to the independent redistricting commission from the pool of nominees, followed by one appointment from the pool made in turn by each of the following: the minority party leader of the Arizona house of representatives, the highest ranking officer elected by the Arizona senate, and the minority party leader of the Arizona senate. Each such official shall have a seven-day period in which to make an appointment. Any official who fails to make an appointment within the specified time period will forfeit the appointment privilege. In the event that there are two or more minority parties within the house or the senate, the leader of the largest minority party by statewide party registration shall make the appointment.

(7) Any vacancy in the above four independent redistricting commission positions remaining as of March 1 of a year ending in one shall be filled from the pool of nominees by the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee. The appointing body shall strive for political balance and fairness.

(8) At a meeting called by the secretary of state, the four independent redistricting commission members shall select by majority vote from the nomination pool a fifth member who shall not be registered with any party already represented on the independent redistricting commission and who shall serve as chair. If the four commissioners fail to appoint a fifth member within fifteen days, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee, striving for political balance and fairness, shall appoint a fifth member from the nomination pool, who shall serve as chair.

(9) The five commissioners shall then select by majority vote one of their members to serve as vice-chair.

(10) After having been served written notice and provided with an opportunity for a response, a member of the independent redistricting commission may be removed by the governor, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the senate, for substantial neglect of duty, gross misconduct in office, or inability to discharge the duties of office.

(11) If a commissioner or chair does not complete the term of office for any reason, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee shall nominate a pool of three candidates within the first thirty days after the vacancy occurs. The nominees shall be of the same political party or status as was the member who vacated the office at the time of his or her appointment, and the appointment other than the chair shall be made by the current holder of the office designated to make the original appointment. The appointment of a new chair shall be made by the remaining commissioners. If the appointment of a replacement commissioner or chair is not made within fourteen days following the presentation of the nominees, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee shall make the appointment, striving for political balance and fairness. The newly appointed commissioner shall serve out the remainder of the original term.

(12) Three commissioners, including the chair or vice-chair, constitute a quorum. Three or more affirmative votes are required for any official action. Where a quorum is present, the independent redistricting commission shall conduct business in meetings open to the public, with 48 or more hours public notice provided.

(13) A commissioner, during the commissioner's term of office and for three years thereafter, shall be ineligible for Arizona public office or for registration as a paid lobbyist.

(14) The independent redistricting commission shall establish congressional and legislative districts. The commencement of the mapping process for both the congressional and legislative districts shall be the creation of districts of equal population in a grid-like pattern across the state. Adjustments to the grid shall then be made as necessary to accommodate the goals as set forth below:

A. Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution and the United States voting rights act;

B. Congressional districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable, and state legislative districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable;

C. Districts shall be geographically compact and contiguous to the extent practicable;

D. District boundaries shall respect communities of interest to the extent practicable;

E. To the extent practicable, district lines shall use visible geographic features, city, town and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts.

F. To the extent practicable, competitive districts should be favored where to do so would create no significant detriment to the other goals.

(15) Party registration and voting history data shall be excluded from the initial phase of the mapping process but may be used to test maps for compliance with the above goals. The places of residence of incumbents or candidates shall not be identified or considered.

(16) The independent redistricting commission shall advertise a draft map of congressional districts and a draft map of legislative districts to the public for comment, which comment shall be taken for at least thirty days. Either or both bodies of the legislature may act within this period to make recommendations to the independent redistricting commission by memorial or by minority report, which recommendations shall be considered by the independent redistricting commission. The independent redistricting commission shall then establish final district boundaries.

(17) The provisions regarding this section are self-executing. The independent redistricting commission shall certify to the secretary of state the establishment of congressional and legislative districts.

(18) Upon approval of this amendment, the department of administration or its successor shall make adequate office space available for the independent redistricting commission. The treasurer of the state shall make $6,000,000 available for the work of the independent redistricting commission pursuant to the year 2000 census. Unused monies shall be returned to the state's general fund. In years ending in eight or nine after the year 2001, the department of administration or its successor shall submit to the legislature a recommendation for an appropriation for adequate redistricting expenses and shall make available adequate office space for the operation of the independent redistricting commission. The legislature shall make the necessary appropriations by a majority vote.

(19) The independent redistricting commission, with fiscal oversight from the department of administration or its successor, shall have procurement and contracting authority and may hire staff and consultants for the purposes of this section, including legal representation.

(20) The independent redistricting commission shall have standing in legal actions regarding the redistricting plan and the adequacy of resources provided for the operation of the independent redistricting commission. The independent redistricting commission shall have sole authority to determine whether the Arizona attorney general or counsel hired or selected by the independent redistricting commission shall represent the people of Arizona in the legal defense of a redistricting plan. 

To Reps. Barton and Proud, and Sen. Antenori and the rest of the Republican legislators who have been attacking the AIRC:


I realize that Arizona prides itself on having "citizen legislators" and you and your colleagues certainly qualify as that.

However, that doesn't serve as an excuse for being "ignorant legislators."

There is more to being elected officials than pronouncing that anything you aren't pleased with as "illegal" or "unconstitutional."

The voters spoke clearly and spoke loudly in 2000 when they created the independent redistricting process.

They want a political process that is less about elected officials serving themselves and more about elected officials serving the public.

You may not agree with the will of the voters, but you freely chose to work for the voters and their will is the law of the land, and more specifically, that will and that law covers the way you and your colleagues obtain, perform, and retain your jobs.

And if you think that the independent redistricting process takes away too much of your fun, just wait until we take on ethics and corruption provisions.

Pics from Saturday's meeting of the Redistricting Commission

...The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) met Saturday in Tempe.  It was a relatively low-key meeting, with perhaps two dozen people in attendance (not a surprising number given that this is a holiday weekend).  Tea party types showed up but were only mildly threatening and obnoxious.  Steve at Arizona Eagletarian was there today and will do a full write up soon.

A few pics...

Commissioner Linda McNulty and AIRC Chair Colleen Mathis listen intently during a presentation from Strategic Telemetry, the AIRC's mapping consultant.  Commissioner Scott Freeman almost made it into the left side of the frame.  :)

State Rep. John Kavanagh and Willie Desmond of Strategic Telemetry talk during a break in the meeting.

Mohur Sidwa of Pima County speaking about the issue of prisons being used to increase the political influence of areas with prisoners and to reduce the political influence of areas that the prisoners are from.  She's a wise woman.  OK - she likes the works of Isaac Asimov as much as I do.  :)

Wes Harris, a Phoenix tea party type.  In addition to harangueing the AIRC, he tended to play a little fast and loose with the facts.  Harris: 68% of the people in Arizona live in Maricopa County.  US Census Bureau: 59.7%, and the percentage is shrinking.

Redistricting commission meeting in Tempe on Saturday

Apologies for the short notice, but I didn't notice the agenda posting until Friday.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has scheduled a meeting for Saturday, September 3 (tomorrow as I write this) in Tempe.

Pertinent info:

Date:  September 3, 2011



Time:  1:30 p.m.
 
Place:  Fiesta Resort (Galleria Ballroom), 2100 S. Priest Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
 
Agenda: here
 
 
The Fiesta Resort is located on the SW corner of Priest and Broadway in Tempe. 
 
- From Tucson or Phoenix or other points of interest in the state, take I-10 to Broadway and follow Broadway east to Priest Drive.
 
- From the East Valley, take US60 west to Priest and follow Priest north to Broadway.
 
- From Scottdale and other parts of the northeast Valley, take Loop 101 south to Loop 202.  Follow Loop 202 west to Priest.  Follow Priest south to Broadway.

Terry Goddard and Paul Johnson tell Tom Horne: Enough already

Former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and former mayor of Phoenix Paul Johnson wrote an op-ed published in Saturday's edition of the Arizona Republic.

In it, they criticize Arizona's current AG, Tom Horne for using his office to bolster the efforts by his fellow Republicans to intimidate the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC).

Some choice quotes from the piece (and you really should read all of it) -

...Attorney General Tom Horne recently announced an investigation of the commission - breaking a longstanding attorney general protocol of never discussing pending investigations before a lawsuit is filed or a grand jury has returned an indictment.

...The power of the Attorney General's Office must not be or appear to be subverted for partisan purposes.


Members of this commission are volunteers who have stepped forward to serve the people of Arizona. They deserve our thanks, not constant attacks. But more important, it was Arizona voters who took redistricting out of the hands of politicians when they approved Prop. 106. Voters went to great lengths to ensure this commission was truly independent, insulated from pressure from politicians who care most about staying in office.

...In all this furor, one thing is certain: If the commission does its job right, neither Republicans nor Democrats are going to be completely happy - exactly what Arizona voters wanted when they passed Prop. 106.

...We call on Attorney General Horne to end his part in the intimidation campaign and allow the commission to focus on the important duties entrusted to it by Arizona voters.

Goddard and Johnson were far more eloquent and tactful than I would be if I was sitting across a table from Horne.

My take, or what I would say to him in such a situation:

Mr. Horne, you are a man who wants to be governor of a state that's ever more purple (note: outside of Maricopa County, Arizona voter registration leans slightly D, and even more importantly, there have been major increases in Independent voter registration levels in all parts of the state) and most residents, even some partisans, are thoroughly disgusted with elected officials brazenly using their offices for personal and partisan gain.

Your bullying tactics may help you in the 2014 Republican gubernatorial primary, but they will hurt your chances of winning the general election, something that is open to *all* voters, not just Republicans.

To sum up - cut the crap, quit worrying about your next job, and just do your current job right.  Doing that will increase your chances at getting that next job.

Later...

BTW - Am I the only one who noticed that the Republic buried the Goddard/Johnson piece on Saturday, perhaps the lowest circulation day of the week?  Could it be they're quietly (quietly for now, anyway) siding with those who are working to undermine the independence of the "Independent" Redistricting Commission?

Note to MSM outlets: When you have employees write about a subject, fact check them before publishing

On August 18, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) selected a set of grid maps that will serve as the basis of the final maps of the new Congressional and legislative districts in Arizona.

Most news articles on the topic, even the one that I'm about to criticize, made it clear that the grid maps are only a starting point and that the final maps will look very different.

However, some writers, especially those for smaller outlets with less experienced reporters, tried to flesh out their pieces with other background facts.

Facts that they got woefully wrong.

Part of the problem may be due to writers writing about topics with which they aren't overly familar (at small outlets, most of the reporters are generalists).  Another part of the problem may be the fault of editors demanding filler (journalistic analysis of the grid maps as if they are the final maps is a complete waste of time) and being willing to sacrifice accuracy for word count.

From the White Mountain Independent, written by David Roberts...who's an editor at WMI...oopsie... (emphasis mine) -

...In the second proposal, this area would be in CD-5 which would start with all of Navajo and Apache Counties in the north, and take in parts of Greenlee, Graham, Gila and Maricopa.


That map would eliminate either Democrat Anne Kirkpatrick or Republican Paul Gosar from representation here, and would probably put this area in Rep. David Schweikert's current Fountain Hills district. Representatives from Schweikert's office were quick to point out that these preliminary maps are required but probably bear no resemblance to final output...

Mr. Roberts makes it sound as if a congressional representative must live in the district they represent.

While there are strong practical reasons for a representative (or candidate) to live in the district he/she represents (not least because the other candidates would point out his/her "carpetbagger" status at every turn), there are no legal requirements for that.

From Article One, Section Two of the US Constitution, courtesy Cornell University (emphasis mine) -

No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.

In other words, a person only has to live somewhere in Arizona to represent a Congressional district here, but not necessarily in that district.


In the past, this has led to people like Mary Kim Titla and Sydney Hay running for the current CD1.  While both have ties to communities in the district, at the time of their candidacies, both were basically Maricopa County residents.

And don't even get me started on the subject of disgraced former Congressman Rick Renzi (R-VA AZCD1).  He may have owned a house in AZ, but it wasn't his home, given the fact that his family never moved here from Virginia.

The residency requirements for state legislators is also somewhat flexible.

From Article Four, Part Two, Section Two of the Arizona Constitution (emphasis mine) -

No person shall be a member of the Legislature unless he shall be a citizen of the United States at the time of his election, nor unless he shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and shall have been a resident of Arizona at least three years and of the county from which he is elected at least one year before his election.

The same practical reasons for a candidate living in a Congressional district also apply to a candidate in a legislative race, but under the AZ Constitution, he/she only has to live in the same county as the district.  In theory, Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) could run for a seat in Tempe - both cities are in Maricopa County.

It won't happen (thank God!), but the requirement dates from AZ's early days, when legislators were actually elected from counties, and it hasn't been changed, even after decades of growth and change here.

BTW - legislators may not talk about it, but they know about it - it's on page 9 (page 15 of the .pdf) of the Legislative Manual published by the lege's Legislative Council.

Mr. Roberts did an OK job with his reporting on the grid maps themselves (it was a waste of time, but that may not be entirely his fault), but he failed horribly with his analysis of who could respresent his area (Show Low/Navajo County, I think).  It wouldn't have taken a lot of editing to make the piece more accurate.  All he had to do was note that Gosar and Kirkpatrick don't reside in the potential district he was discussing, instead of saying that they absolutely couldn't represent it.

Perhaps some of the smaller MSM outlets should consider sticking to the facts in their areas of expertise (like the happenings in their local areas) and leaving analysis of broader topics to folks with more knowledge of those particular topics.

In case you forgot about it, county redistricting is proceeding apace

Not really an "analysis" post; more of an "information" post...

Lost in the ginned-up hubbub surrounding the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has been the fact that while the AIRC is drawing new Congressional and legislative district maps, most of the counties in Arizona are similarly drawing new districts for county-level offices like county supervisor.

Maricopa County (my home) has a redistricting page here, courtesy the Maricopa County Recorder's website.  A ,pdf of a powerpoint presentation on the county redistricting process is here.

The deadline for submitting suggested maps has passed (June 1) but people have until October 1 to submit comments on five citizen-submitted plans (here, here, here, here, and here) and one county-crafted plan.

Call me a cynic, but something tells me that the county-crafted plan is most likely to be implemented - not that the supes will really find any of the citizen-submitted plans truly objectionable - all result in one overwhelmingly Democratic district so Mary Rose Wilcox can keep her job and four Republican-heavy districts for the four Republicans on the MCBOS.  :) 

Given that the supes are in charge of their own redistricting, the proposed new districts look a *lot* like the current districts.  The only people who might find themselves in new supervisorial districts are those who live on the border of their current districts.

People like me.

Currently, I live in the tiny corner of Scottsdale that is in SD1, the embattled Fulton Brock's district.  Under the county-crafted proposal (and three of the citizen-submitted proposals), my area of Scottsdale would be transferred to SD2, Don Stapley's district.  Not a big difference in practical terms, but there is a bit of logic to the move - most of Scottsdale is already in SD2.

There are also a number of neighborhoods in south Scottsdale that are currently in SD3 (Andy Kunasek) that would also be moved into SD2 under the county-crafted plan.

Take a look at the plans, and if you wish to comment, there are two email links on the main page.

Busy week coming up for Redistricting Commission

After the end of the first round of public hearings on redistricting, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC), the five members of the Commission had a week off.

...OK, it was actually a week off from public meetings throughout the state.  Lots of work was still going on.

However, they are going to make up for the week "off" by holding two (perhaps three) public meetings this week.

Monday, they are scheduled to hold a meeting in Casa Grande.  The scheduled topic is to obtain, consider, and possibly take action on legal advice pertaining to Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's "investigation" into the AIRC.

Wednesday, a meeting will be held in the Phoenix City Council chambers.  This one is a more general meeting and includes an address from retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Finally, Steve at Arizona Egaltarian is reporting that a meeting is planned for Thursday in Casa Grande, where they will be officially unveiling and selecting grid maps.  These are maps of legislative and Congressional districts that are based only on the criteria of equal population and compactness.  The final maps will be very different after adjusting them for other criteria such as adherence to the Voting Rights Act and competitiveness.

To add a little perspective on this, consider the Congressional district grid map created during the 2000 redistricting cycle -

...and compare it to the final map of Congressional districts -

The 2000 legislative maps are similarly different (yes, I just wrote that sentence! :) ).

In other words, if you are in a grid map district that looks great to you, don't gloat, and if you are in one that looks horrible, don't panic.

Things will change greatly over the next couple of months.

When the schedule for the next round of hearings, aka "the second leg of the AIRC's traveling road show," is posted, I'll post it here.

Until then, and even after, keep up with the redistricting process at Arizona Egaltarian.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel: AZGOP trying to dupe minorities into supporting continued GOP legislative supermajority

By now, most observers in Arizona is familiar with the tactics of the Arizona Republican Party to undermine the independence of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC).

They've cast aspersions upon the integrity of the Independent chair of the AIRC as well as one of the Democratic members.

They've tried to intimidate the AIRC by flooding the meetings of the Commission with tea party types who heckle and jeer the Commission and any members of the public who testify in favor of competitive districts.

They've gotten their Attorney General, Tom Horne, to begin an investigation into the AIRC.  (Of course, he probably wants to be careful - if it appears that he is misusing his office for partisan purposes, it would just invite direct federal intervention.  And not just into the redistricting process.)

While those efforts are ongoing, they haven't swayed the AIRC from performing its duties.

Which has led to the next step in the Republicans' campaign to maintain their stranglehold on Arizona's state government, and Arizona's future - pretending to be concerned about the rights of racial and ethnic minorities.

To that end, they've put together a "super" political action committee, or  Super PAC, called "Fair Trust."  At least, I think it's a PAC; they're being rather secretive about the whole thing.  Except when they're flaunting their secretiveness.  Which seems counterintuitive - a "secret" group boasting that it's a secret - but it's what they're doing.  Not sure why...who am I kidding?  They know full well if they get caught doing anything illegal, they've got only Tom Horne to worry about.


And that is no worry for Arizona Republicans who are contemplating doing something that may be legally murky.

However, I digress...

Fair Trust has been writing letters and sending representatives to hearing of the AIRC to testify in favor of concentrating minority voters into just a few districts, maximizing the likelihood of minority candidates winning in those districts.  What they leave unsaid (in the letters and during the hearings, anyway) is that this also minimizes the likelihood that the voices of those candidates will be heard in the legislature if they win election to office.  Those representatives include attorney David Cantelme, who has worked for the Republicans in the legislature in the past (and he wasn't exactly working to protect minority rights).

Steve at Arizona Eagletarian has been doing stellar work covering the redistricting process and has more complete coverage of Fair Trust here.

This tendency manifested itself quite clearly in the most recent session of the legislature.

While more than 48% of the members (14 out of 29 total) of the Democratic caucus of the legislature are members of racial or ethnic minorities, only 3% (two out of 61 total) of the Republican caucus are members of racial or ethnic minorities. 

As Democrats make up less than 1/3 of the legislature, that means that minorities make up 17.8% of the legislature, in a state where more than 40% of the residents belong to one or another minority group.

That has led to a legislature where Democrats and minorities aren't just outvoted on most issues, they are completely ignored - one of the things that most shocked the freshman Ds in this year's legislature is the habit of their Republican colleagues of pretending that the Ds don't exist, often refusing even to say "hi" in the halls of the Capitol.

One of the Republicans who has benefited most from the diminution of minority voters in his district, Rep. Jack Harper (R-LD4), has been putting in his two cents worth, via his Twitter account.  He's put out gems like (all copied and pasted; any spelling errors are his) -

HarperForAZ JackWHarper


At Az Ind Redistricting Commission meetings, caucasion DEM's argue for competitive districts over ensuring minority wins. #VRA

4 Aug

 and

HarperForAZ JackWHarper


Sen. Gallardo supports Voting Rights Act that enables wins by minorities. I do to, so distrist stay lop-sided. #AIRC

3 Aug

and

HarperForAZ JackWHarper


As IRC is poised to dilute power of minorities in the Leg, ringer consultant brings caucasion employees to presentation.

8 Jul

Just a quick refresher, for those of you who may have dozed for the last four years or so -
 
- Harper is so nutty that his fellow Republicans put together a website called "Crazy Jack Harper."
 
- He has voted for every anti-immigrant, anti-minority, anti-everything but rich, white, and Republican bill that has come before the Arizona legislature for most of the last decade, first as a member of the senate and now as a member of the house of representatives.
 
- He has sponsored or co-sponsored most of the same.
 
- One of his pet projects has been the creation of a state-sanctioned anti-immigrant vigilante force.  He's pushed this or variants of it for years in various forms - bills, resolutions, strike-everything amendments, whatever he thought might slip through.  This past session, a mild version, SB1495, passed into law, setting up a framework for future mischief.
 
In short, he has never cared about the Voting Rights Act or protecting the interests of minorities, and has given no indication that he has "seen the light," repented, and become a good guy.
 
He has given every indication, however, that he believes that minority elected officials and candidates are dumber than he is. 
 
As in "dumb enough to believe the BS that he is spewing."

Friday's IRC meeting...

As with the first one I covered, this is mostly pics, with just a little bit of news.  Steve at Arizona Eagletarian will do a full write up later today or tomorrow on his site.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) held a three-hour hearing Friday evening in the main branch of the Phoenix public library on Central Ave.  Turnout was solid - not SRO, but definitely well over 100 people attended the hearing.  49 spoke, and more would have, but they left before being called.

While the crowd was mostly well-behaved during the meeting, there were some mild fireworks.  Some of the tea party types objected to people taking pictures and recording a public meeting held in a public building.  Curiously, most of them spent the meeting taking pictures and video of people.

One right-winger became upset and very angry when a couple of the speakers pointed out that she was one of the worst (and most hypocritical) "offenders" - she was both videorecording the speakers and taking still photographs of the crowd for the purposes of intimidating people into silence.

Some pics -

The LD17 contingent...

AIRC Executive Director Ray Bladine (standing) and AIRC members Scott Freeman (seated, left) and Jose Herrera (seated, right)

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, speaking in favor of creating a Congressional district that she can win easily if Ed Pastor doesn't run for re-election  that protects her "community of interest"

David Lucier of Tempe, speaking in support of more competitive districts

Jim Williams, of I'm not sure where, self-identified tea party type, criticizing the AIRC

Longtime Phoenix activist and icon, Phyllis Rowe.  She brought up the irony of standing up and speaking in a library building named after long-time legislator Burton Barr, and that the push to name the building after Republican Barr was led by a Democratic adversary/friend of his from his time in the lege.  She lamented the loss of civility and collegiality in the legislature, and its replacement with the basest, ugliest, partisanship.

Michelle Melchiorre gave the most moving testimony of the evening, talking about her medical history and good fortune to have health insurance to help her through her time of need while this legislature has denied AHCCCS care to thousands of poor Arizonans during theirs.  The Commission often talks about the "Cs" - Compact, Contiguous, Communities of interest, Competitive.  She suggested that they (and we) add another C - Compassion.

This week's schedule for redistricting hearings

The AIRC road show is travelling to northern Arizona, southern Arizona, central Arizona, and southeastern Arizona.  Wonder if any of the commissioners bring their cameras with them to take tourist-y pics of some of the spectacular scenery?

Schedule courtesy the website of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission:

Monday, August 1, 6 p.m. - Coconino Community College - Lone Tree Campus, 2800 S. Lone Tree Rd., Flagstaff; remote locations:  Coconino Community College - Page, 475 S. Lake Powell Rd., Page, Room D10; Coconino Community College/Diné College, 600 Edgewater Dr., Tuba City.

Tuesday, August 2, 6 p.m. - South Tucson City Council Chambers, 1601 S. 6th Ave., South Tucson
Wednesday, August 3, 6 p.m. - Glendale City Council Chambers, 5850 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale
Thursday, August 4, 6 p.m. - City Hall - Main Building, 1011 N. Coronado Dr., Sierra Vista; remote location: Cochise County Board of Supervisors Public Hearing Room, Building G, 1415 Melody Lane, Bisbee
Friday, August 5, 6 p.m. - Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix.  Pulliam Auditorium
Saturday, August 6, 1 p.m. - Abrams Public Health Building, 3950 S. Country Club Rd., Tucson. Room 1106

This week's redistricting hearings

This week will be an incredibly busy one for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC).

They have hearings every day this week, as well as next Saturday, ranging from Mesa in central Arizona to Bullhead City in the northwestern part of the state to Window Rock and Pinetop in the northern and eastern reaches of the state.  In addition, they'll be visiting Pinal County.

From the schedule of hearings -

Monday, July 25, 6 p.m. - Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St., Mesa. Palo Verde III - Building B
Tuesday, July 26, 6 p.m. - Bullhead City Council Chambers, 1255 Marina Blvd., Bullhead City
Wednesday, July 27, 6 p.m. - Casa Grande City Council Chambers, 510 E. Florence Blvd., Casa Grande; remote location: (City of) Maricopa Unified School District Office Administration Building, 44150 W. Maricopa/Casa Grande Hwy, Maricopa. Board Room
Thursday, July 28, 6 p.m. - Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Board Hearing Room, 1015 Fair St., Prescott; remote location: Yavapai County Cottonwood Annex, 10 S. 6th St., Cottonwood
Friday, July 29, 1 p.m. - Navajoland Inn & Suites (formerly Days Inn) Conference Room, 392 W. Hwy 264, St. Michaels
Saturday, July 30, 1 p.m. - Hon Dah Resort - Casino, 777 Hwy 260, Pinetop. Mt. Baldy Room; remote locations: Holbrook City Council Chambers, 465 1st Ave., Holbrook and Winslow City Council Chambers, 115 E. 2nd St., Winslow


As a special added bonus for die-hard political geeks based in Maricopa County, here is a list of this week's hearings for Maricopa County redistricting -

July 25, 2011

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Scottsdale Community College
Peridot Room
9000 East Chaparral Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85256

July 26, 2011

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Chandler/Gilbert Community College, Pecos Campus
Chandler Room SC140
2626 East Pecos Road
Chandler, Arizona 85225


Since the county supes control the county-level redistricting process, I feel confident in making some predictions on the end product - there will be one absolutely bulletproof Democratic district, centered on south Phoenix and southwestern Maricopa County.  The other four districts will have strong Republican majorities.

Of course, I have to be honest - that is less a "prediction" than  statement of "the way it always is."

It might be time for an initiative petition to amend state law to create an independent redistricting process for the counties.  Not that it will make much difference in Maricopa County until there are more Democrats (or at least, more Independents) here.

While the latest Arizona voter registration count shows that the Republicans have an advantage of 134,921 over the Democrats  statewide, the R advantage in Maricopa County alone is 164,217.

Hmmmm...maybe that "Baja Arizona as the 51st state" idea has some merit.  :)

Thursday Redistricting Hearing

Thursday, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission held a public hearing at South Mountain Community College.  Prior to the meeting, there were rumors that tea party types planned a big turnout for the meeting.  While there were a number of them there, they were mostly well-behaved.

Perhaps the facts that 24th Street and Baseline (the location of SMCC) isn't exactly home turf for them (too many folks with skin darker than a golfer's tan) and the unobtrusive but unsubtle presence of a number of police officers and other visible security personnel contributed to their desire to avoid significant confrontations or disruptions of the meeting.  They applauded their own speakers and hooted and hollered a couple of times at pro-competitive districts speakers, but other than that, the chair of the meeting only had to issue one warning to the audience about the police presence.

The next hearing in Maricopa County will be Monday at 6 p.m. at the Mesa Convention Center.  The complete list of upcoming hearings is here.

Steve at The Arizona Eagletarian has a full write-up of the meeting here, but here are a few pics -


A pre-meeting shot of the crowd.  Estimates were that as many as 200 people attended.

Dave Wells of Tempe, a political science professor from ASU

State Senators John McComish (R) and Leah Landrum Taylor (D) speaking before the meeting.  Both addressed the Commission to support the protection of "communities of interest" (aka - their own districts)

Randall Holmes of Tempe addressing the Commission in support of competitive districts
















Kelly Townsend of Gilbert, a Republican PC and tea party type, calling for the resignation of AIRC chair Colleen Mathis.  She was poised and polished...except for the fact that the commissioner she was calling out was not Mathis, it was Linda McNulty.  Oops.  Townsend had a game plan to follow, and follow it she did.  Even if it had nothing to do with reality.  Still, she did better than another tea party type who took the mike to criticize the selection of Strategic Telemetry as the mapping consultant.  That one didn't obviously didn't write the words she was reading - she couldn't pronounce "telemetry."  Oops2.

Some tea party types greeted arrivals in the hallway outside the meeting room.  The guy in the red, white, and blue shirt is actually wearing a copy of the Declaration of Independence.  I don't think he understands the irony of displaying that document while working against the independence of the Independent Redistricting Commission.

The crowd...



Time to support the independence of the "Independent" Redistricting Commission

With the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) starting its series of public hearings around the state, look for the Republicans in the legislature to redouble their attempts to hijack the Commission, either through intimidation by tea party proxies or by direct legislative action.

There are at least a couple of things that people can do to combat the moves to subvert the independence of the AIRC -

1.  Go to a hearing.  Stand up and speak in support of the AIRC's independence, a fair, honest, and open process, and competitive districts.  And thank the members of the AIRC for their efforts and sacrifices on behalf of the future of the state.

2.  Talk to people.  Let your friends and neighbors know what is going on and why they should keep and eye on the goings-on with redistricting.  Write letters, to the editor of your local newspaper in order to reach out to a wider group of people, and to elected officials, in order to let them know that people are watching and they should just cut the crap*.

* = You probably shouldn't use the phrase "cut the crap."  That may reduce your credibility with the electeds.  Just sayin'... :)

I recently submitted a letter to the editors of the Arizona Republic.  Hopefully, they'll accept it for publication and do so this week.

I also sent a letter to Governor Brewer.  I doubt she'll be publishing it anytime soon, so here it is -

Governor Brewer,

I am writing to you today to urge you to respect in independence of the Independent Redistricting Commission. In addition, I urge you to use your influence to convince the members of the legislature to do the same.


When the voters passed Proposition 106 in November of 2000, they sent an overwhelming message that they want a fair, transparent, and nonpartisan process for Congressional and legislative redistricting, and a process that is NOT under the control of the partisan officeholders whose districts are being designed.


The recent attempts to both physically and politically intimidate the IRC by certain members of the state government clearly run counter to the voters' will.


Beside threatening the viability and effectiveness of the redistricting process (something that obviously doesn't bother certain people), these attempts to subvert the process will have another effect, one that those same people may not like - it will almost certainly contribute to Arizona remaining a "pre-clearance" state.


Some of the members of the Republican caucus in the legislature are pushing for a special session of the legislature be called so that they can remove the independent chair of the IRC, Colleen Mathis. I would remind you (and them) that there are clear and specific grounds for removal listed in the Arizona Constitution, and the chair hasn't even come close to violating any of them. However, I'm not naive. I undertand that considerations of practical politics hold greater sway at the Capitol than the simple ideals of fair play or respect for the will of the voters.


When those certain legislators pressure you to call a special session to serve their partisan interests, remind them that when you called a special session to change a single word in Arizona law that would have allowed thousands of Arizonans who have been most adversely affected by the current recession to collect a few more weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits, they balked.

And they were rather shameless about it to boot.

Holding a special session now to railroad someone who has done nothing wrong would generate a PR nightmare of a magnitude that most of them have never witnessed, much less been a part of.

Whether it's for idealistic or practical reasons, standing up for the independence of the IRC is the politically wise thing to do.


Thank you for your time and consideration.


Regards,

[cpmaz]

Later...