Judge kicks Schwarzenegger’s redistricting measure off the ballot [View All]

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By STEVE LAWRENCE
Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A judge kicked Arnold Schwarzenegger’s redistricting measure off the special election ballot Thursday, a crushing blow for a proposition that was a centerpiece of the Republican governor’s campaign to reform state government.

The judge ruled that supporters of the proposition violated California’s constitution by using two versions of the initiative in the process of qualifying the measure for the ballot.

“The differences are not simply typographical errors,” Judge Gail Ohanesian said. “They’re not merely about the format of the measure. They are not simply technical. Instead they go to the substantive terms of the measure.”

The proposal, Proposition 77, is one of three initiatives that the Republican governor is supporting in the Nov. 8 special election. It would take the power to draw legislative and congressional districts away from the Legislature and give it to a panel of three retired judges.