Last year Californians rejected an attempt to change the way the state's legislative districts are drawn, but a bi-partisan group of lawmakers says the issue hasn't gone away, and they're trying again for reform. Sacramento reporter, Marianne Russ, has more.
The goal is to stop lawmakers from drawing their own legislative district maps, which is a conflict of interest and leads to less competition, says Republican Senator Roy Ashburn. He's co-author of a constitutional amendment to create a five-person commission to draw the lines instead. Ashburn: "If you want an independent commission and you want to minimize the power of incumbent politicians, this is the vehicle to get it done." Democratic Senator Gloria Romero disagrees. During a committee hearing for the bill she told the authors she took it personally. Romero: "Are you trying to get rid of me, because some folks have said that the purpose of this is to have less ideological folks." Critics say the measure is a waste of time. The authors say they're willing to make amendments, and they'll get the chance, since the bill was voted out of committee and moves on to the full Senate.
