Expert Commentary

Demographic and redistricting expert and Republican consultant Tony Quinn (also an editor of the influential California Target Book) offered Phoblog this expert commentary - just in case you didn't believe me when I said some of the state's top Republicans are, shall we say, dismayed at what's become of redistricting reform efforts:

This is now a dead issue for several months. I was at the hearing today and the judge's ruling was far harsher than I expected. No stay. The Costa initiative is a corpse very unlikely to be revived by the court of appeal or supreme court. The judge's findings of fact are simply devastating.

This is entirely the fault of Team Arnold and their incompetence, and on the facts at hand this Republican-appointed judge had no choice but to toss it off the ballot. Redistricting reform will need be to be rebuilt from the ground up, and is probably several election cycles from another ballot measure.

And just to make sure you understand how much Schwarzenegger has let down those he should've been impressing, Quinn reiterated that "[n]othing has been as incompetent as Team Arnold on this initiative. This is what happens when you let Ted Costa and his gang of clowns do your work for you."

We never much cared for him either.