CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS – BUSINESS AS USUAL

A sign of the times? A sign that gerrymandering works? A sign in favor of congressional term limits? All will be on display next month during the general election. There are vitally important races that we will be voting on. None more important than who will be governor and have the ability to affect our industry's pest control legislative agenda. There will be significant local state Senate and Assembly races. Did you know that California's state Senate districts are larger than our congressional districts? Watch out for these state races in your area...and don't forget to VOTE!

What won't change, however, are the congressional incumbent office holders in California, Democrats and Republicans. As a result, these folks are immune to political trends, both federal and state.

Fact: Just one of California's 53 congressional districts has changed partisan hands since the districts were last redrawn by the Legislature after the 2000 census.

National polls indicate that another congressional shift is looming, with the possibility of the Republicans re-taking the House. This is certainly stunning news ... except for Californians! Those gerrymandered Congressional districts here in our golden state mean that only a few California seats, at most, could change hands this year.

Whether California remains a backwater for Congressional battles up in the air, on Nov. 2, Proposition 20 on the statewide initiative ballot would put congressional redistricting in the hands of an independent commission in order to redraw districts ... which might prevent future gerrymandering.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Proposition 27, on our same ballot, would abolish the redistricting commission and put all redistricting back in the hands of the California Legislature.