Crossing the line on voting district initiative

Re “Suit Could Kill Ballot Initiative,” July 9

The California Republican Party unanimously voted last month to support Proposition 77.

Continuing a pattern of behavior he has shown throughout this process, Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer is using his position to promote his own political agenda by suing the secretary of state to keep the proposition off the Nov. 8 ballot. More than 950,000 registered California voters signed petitions to qualify the “Voter Empowerment Act” for the ballot based on the common sense belief that politicians should not be able to draw their own districts. The process of drawing districts should be put into the hands of a nonpartisan panel of retired judges, as prescribed in Prop. 77.

Duf Sundheim

Chairman

California Republican Party

Sacramento

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Your July 12 editorial in favor of Proposition 77 is misguided. On principle, in an ideal world, it would be nice if California used a less partisan way to set legislative districts. However, in this context, Proposition 77 is simply a Republican power grab. Because almost every other state draws congressional districts in a way similar to that of California, district gerrymandering has created a shameful state of affairs in which the Republicans hold far more seats than their proportional representation in the general voting population.

In most states, gerrymandering favors Republicans, and some, like Texas, have gone to disgraceful lengths to disenfranchise Democrats in order to add still more Republican seats. By creating a more “fair and less partisan” system in California, Democrats will be unable to balance GOP abuses elsewhere.

A vote for Proposition 77 is a vote against the environment, a woman’s right to choose, labor protections and the social safety net.

Clint Trout

Los Angeles