February 1, 2007

It's all about power

Today Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez will be rolling out his proposal for redistricting reform. Yesterday, in comments to the California Newspaper Publishers Assn., he noted that no legislative body’s majority party has ever willingly given up the power to draw district lines. But he suggested his might be the first.

“Power is something which once you gain you don’t want to give it away to anybody,” he told the publishers. “People don’t give power away.”

But, he added, “The time has come for us to show the way.”

Next door, in comments to the Legislature’s Latino Caucus, Senate Leader Don Perata continued his longtime love-hate relationship with the idea. He keeps suggesting he is open to reform, but never really seems to have his heart in it. Same story on Wednesday:

“If we have to do it, so be it,” Perata said. But he added: “We are not going to give up power easily.”

If anything happens, it seems certain to be linked to a term limits measure that would allow both leaders to hold onto their posts after 2008.

Posted by dweintraub on February 1, 2007 9:45 AM