Vote "NO" on California Proposition 77

Of all the ballot initiatives being put forward by Governor Schwarzenegger, I was the most uncertain about Proposition 77. (Read the Text of Prop. 77 Here) While the other initiatives seemed to take obvious aim at the governor’s political opposition, Prop. 77 seemed to be remarkably fair. In short, it takes the responsibility of drawing up new congressional and representative districts out of the hands of partisan politicians and gives it to a panel of three retired judges. That sounds quite fair on the face of the matter. But in reading the text carefully and thinking about the matter, I have decided that this is not a good idea. Three is an awfully small number, especially when you consider that none of these judges would be elected by the people nor would be directly answerable to the public. While the panel would be required to have hearings open to lawmakers and the public, they would not be required to follow their recommendations. This initiative would also make it easier for districts to be drawn in such a way as to ignore physical geography, thus allowing gerrymandered districts that divide traditional communities and combine others illogically. Even worse is the fact that the redistricting plan (if Proposition 77 passes) would actually go into effect before voters would have the opportunity to approve it.
I agree that it is probably a good idea to take the power to draw up electoral districts away from the politicians who stand to benefit the most through their manipulation. However, this plan is not good for California or Democracy in general. I strongly urge all Californians to vote no on Proposition 77.