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 California
Redistricting Reform Money Race
$23 million of support and opposition…
[Chuck DeVore] 11/1/05
You can tell
much about a measure by its opponents. In California, with
its almost yearly crop of ballot propositions, this is especially
true.
Proposition
77, the redistricting reform initiative backed by Governor
Schwarzenegger, Common Cause (a liberal group), and the California
Republican Party is looking like it may pass over major financial
opposition of a number of interesting people and groups.
Contributors
Chuck DeVore
Assemblyman Chuck
DeVore represents 450,000 residents of Orange County
California’s
70th Assembly District.. He served as a Reagan White House
appointee in the Pentagon from 1986 to 1988 and was Senior
Assistant to Cong. Chris Cox. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Army
National Guard. Chuck’s novel, CHINA
ATTACKS, sells internationally and has been translated
into Chinese for sales in Taiwan. [go to DeVore index] |
There are
three committees specifically opposed to Prop. 77 and a fourth
that’s opposed to four of the initiatives
backed by the Governor. Together, they have raised $14.8 million
to counter the $8 million raised by the Governor’s allies.
Who are these people and groups opposed to having competitive
and fair legislative and congressional districts?
One of “No on 77” committees has raised $7,915,500
so far, the bulk of it, $4,250,000, coming from Hollywood’s
Stephen Bing, the wealthy scion of wealthy scions described by
Mother Jones magazine as, “A notorious playboy.”
Bernard L. Schwartz also opposes Prop. 77. Schwartz is the former
CEO of Loral Space, a company that was fined $20 million by the
State Department in 2002 for teaching the Communist Chinese how
to build more accurate nuclear missiles. Schwartz gave about
$4 million to Democrats and 527s opposed to President Bush over
the past two years, so we should be relieved that he only shelled
out $25,000 against Prop. 77.
As expected, California’s state Democrat politicians are
opposing Prop. 77, with $480,000 chipped in so far.
Congressional Democrats from all over America are rushing to
the fight against Prop. 77 too, with 33 separate checks totaling
$151,000 from politicians who must really care about California
such as, Murtha of Pennsylvania, Hooley of Oregon, Green, Reyes,
Hinojosa and Johnson of Texas, Nadler of New York, Inslee of
Washington, Obey of Wisconsin, Clay of Missouri, Tierney of Massachusetts,
Berry and Ross of Arkansas, Sabo of Minnesota, Davis of Tennessee,
Chandler of Kentucky, Stupak of Michigan, Cramer of Alabama,
Schakowsky of Illinois, and Larson of Connecticut. With this
unbroken list of liberals in opposition to Prop. 77, it kind
of makes one wonder what the heck California Republican Congressman
John Doolittle was thinking when he joined this liberal wrecking
crew in opposition to Prop. 77.
Trial attorneys are also busy opposing Prop. 77. The Association
Of Trial Lawyers Of America wrote a $200,000 check with more
than 30 slip and fall firms throwing in another $300,000 for
good measure.
Labor unions are also weighing in against Prop. 77, with almost
$1 million so far.
In spite of all this spending against Prop. 77, opinion polls
show the initiative may win. And, a Prop. 77 victory combined
with a win for Prop 75, the public sector union “Paycheck
Protection” measure will provide a foundation to completely
remake California politics and reform state government. CRO
copyright
2005 Chuck DeVore
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