Update: Prop 77

GOOD NEWS! Let's put it to a vote!

From the WSJ editorial section today:
Lockyer OverruledAugust 17, 2005; Page A10
California's Supreme Court decision Friday to restore a redistricting measure to the November special election ballot is bad news for state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who was trying to have it removed on a technicality. But the ruling is very good news for anyone fed up with the state's rigged system for electing lawmakers.
In California, incumbents draw their own district lines, which has made elections as suspenseful as professional wrestling. Of 153 state and Congressional races last November, not one seat changed party hands. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made redistricting reform a centerpiece of his agenda, and nearly one million Californians signed a ballot initiative, known as Proposition 77, to turn redistricting over to an independent panel of retired judges.
Mr. Lockyer, a Democrat in cahoots with legislators who oppose the reform, sued to remove the initiative from the ballot, citing minor wording discrepancies between the version submitted to his office and the one shown to voters to collect signatures. He claimed such sins as substituting the word "appoint" for "select" constituted fatal flaws that would endanger "public confidence in the initiative process" if left unchecked.
When these columns criticized his move, Mr. Lockyer sent us a letter suggesting he was merely trying to protect voters from devious populists. Well, not quite, said the state's high court. "We conclude that it would not be appropriate to deny the electorate the opportunity to vote on Proposition 77 on Nov. 8, 2005, on the basis of such discrepancies," said the court in a 4-2 decision. Mr. Lockyer's antics underscore the desperation of politicians out to prevent competitive elections. There will be more between now and November.