California Democrats Blitz Newsom’s Redistricting Bills, Cutting Republican Questions and Mics Off

Listening to Assembly Democrats Tuesday in the Elections Committee blame President Donald Trump for everything from “rigging an election,” to taking candy from babies, was political performance theater lacking any reality. They were hearing two bills of the 3-measure package on Congressional redistricting, Senate Bill 280 and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8, and had an informational panel on Assembly Bill 604, to specify the elements that define the congressional districts if ACA 8 is adopted by the voters on November 4.

The worst part was actually having to watch Democracy dying in darkness – Committee Chairwoman Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), a former elections official, who yesterday said Democrats are “building the most transparent process in the country,” cut the microphone of the Vice Chairwoman Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare) when she asked who drew the proposed gerrymandered Congressional maps.

Vague answers indicated Democrat legislative leaders drew the maps, but no names were provided.

In Monday’s dog-and-pony-show, Pellerin said “Donald Trump lit this fire by pressuring Texas to redistricting.” Pellerin is also concerned about saving Democracy: “This is about saving Democracy itself.”

As Assemblyman Carl DeMaio said in the morning press conference, the maps were drawn by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), “which is not even a registered lobbyist,” DeMaio noted. “How much money was paid to Paul Mitchell, who boasted that he had a team of 8 people” working with him. Mitchell is drawing the news districts for the governor, the Globe reported.

Assemblywoman Macedo also made a motion at the beginning of the committee hearing to adjourn the meeting as Chairwoman Pellerin was giving her opening statement. When queried, Macedo said Republicans on the committee would like as much time to read the bills and maps as Democrats had. Macedo said she and committee member Assemblyman David Tangipa (R-Fresno) received the bills less than 24 hours ahead of the hearing, because they were only notified about the hearing, also less than 24 hours of the scheduled time.

Here is the exchange, noting “Answers provided suggest Democratic legislative leaders drew the maps, but no names were provided,” posted by Eytan Wallace, CA Capitol Reporter for Nexstar CA Stations:

As the Globe reported earlier Tuesday after Republicans filed an Emergency Petition for Writ of Mandate with the California Supreme Court to halt the illegal gerrymandering, “The other important issue is who drew the maps? Sen. Strickland said it is unconstitutional for elected politicians to touch the maps, and asked members of the press to ask Senate President Pro Ten Mike McGuire, Senator Angelique Ashby and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains if they saw the maps – three lawmakers rumored to be looking to run for Congress.”

Assemblyman Tangipa asked about all of the co-authors on the bill who may have a vested interest in the newly drawn maps. He then proposed amendments to ACA 8 stating that any member of the legislature who votes for the ACA cannot run for Congress in any of the newly proposed congressional districts.

Tangipa then said KCRA news reported that Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire asked for a particular district be drawn, in anticipation of running for Congress. Tangipa’s amendment specified that lawmakers can’t vote on ACA 8 if they are running for Congress.

But Democrats killed Assemblyman Tangipa’s amendment.

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 “Provides for the use of new congressional district maps for elections held through 2030 if Texas, Florida, or other states voluntarily put a new congressional map into effect, and if voters approve this measure.”

Vice Chairwoman Macedo expressed untold frustration to Chairwoman Pellerin that she was given only a few minutes to ask her questions of the bill presenter Assemblyman Marc Berman, standing in for the bill’s author, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. Chairwoman Pellerin cut off Macedo’s questions as well as Tangipa’s, and repeated ad nauseam, “I have allowed you plenty of times to ask your questions,” and then screamed, “Mr. Tangipa, you are out of order” several times, and cut his mic when he insisted there were many more questions that needed answers. “We are done with questions,” Chairwoman Pellerin declared.

She must have been a delightful elections official.

“Who drew the maps?” was never answered. What should have been a straightforward answer, Democrats refused to address, clearly indicating that indeed they are covering up how the maps were drawn, and by whom.

ACA 8 was passed along party lines, as was SB 280. The party promising transparency, claiming that “Donald Trump and Republicans are trying to rig the next election,” are trying to rig the next election. They look and sound ridiculous, and pretty much everyone knows they are lying.

But remember, Chairwoman Pellerin said, “This is about saving Democracy itself.”