Governor faces redistricing hurdles

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has the scars from his failed 2005 ballot measure to prove how searing a campaign can be when trying to change the way political boundaries are drawn. Steve Harmon in the Daily News.

Schwarzenegger stepped into the fray again last week, proposing to create a 14-member citizens commission that would redraw district boundaries for the Assembly, Senate and Board of Equalization.

Political observers wonder whether Schwarzenegger has devised a strategy that can withstand a pummeling from Democrats, who don't want to give up their lock on the Legislature, and Republicans, who may well be disappointed that the plan doesn't go far enough.

If the latest measure makes it to the November 2008 ballot, Democrats and their labor allies would likely mount a strong challenge against it. Experts said the party would employ the tried and true message that the measure would amount to a GOP power grab that would disenfranchise communities of color.