Report Redistricting and Legislative Partisanship By Eric McGhee Sep 9, 2008 Critics of the state legislature contend that its pattern of gridlock—as exemplified by the current budget impasse—can be traced to the “safe seats” it drew for itself in the 2001 redistricting process. Redistricting reform is often suggested as the right prescription for these legislative ills. This report analyzes in detail the effects of the 2001 redistricting on legislative behavior, voting patterns, and partisanship. It concludes that if increased bipartisanship is what critics want, redistricting reform may not be the optimal way to attain it.
Report Adapting to Term Limits: Recent Experiences and New Directions By Bruce E. Cain, Thad Kousser Nov 10, 2004 Term limits have changed Sacramento, but exactly how have they affected the Legislature, and what can the institution do to respond? In Adapting to Term Limits: Recent Experiences and New Directions, Bruce E. Cain and Thad Kousser measure the effects of term limits and identify ways to adapt to them. Guided by the testimony of informed observers, their report offers quantitative analyses using bill contents and histories, voting behavior, budget figures, and other archival records to explore the effects of term limits. Concluding that term limits have eroded legislative capacities in unhelpful ways, they offer recommendations for restoring some of those capacities while maintaining the legislative turnover mandated by Proposition 140.
