After gaining mention yesterday by announcing his opposition to the lottery proposal in this year’s budget deal (first reported here on F&H by Joel Fox), CA State Treasurer Bill Lockyer made waves earlier today by announcing his support of Proposition 11, the Schwarzenegger-backed redistricting measure.
Lockyer spokesman Tom Dressler is quoted by Capitol Alert as saying, "allowing the Legislature to set its own district boundaries presents an untenable conflict of interest, and on that principle he supports Prop. 11."
Although the measure has gained the backing of a handful of Democrats, most notably Governor Gray Davis and former State Controller Steve Westly (who blogged about his support for the measure here on Fox&Hounds in June), Lockyer has become the first statewide elected Democrat to endorse the measure.
We’ve seen a number of back-and-forth arguments (see: Joe Mathews/Tony Quinn) over the past few months debating the chances of a redistricting measure being passed this year, particularly given their historic tendency towards failure in California. Although the chances are clearly still mixed, the fact that Prop. 11 is garnering vocal support from leaders on both sides of the aisle would seem to indicate that this could be the year the Governor finally gets his way on what has been his biggest issue.