Redistricting -- Joint Lege committee on interfering with the AIRC

The recently announced Joint Legislative Committee on Redistricting is now scheduled to meet Friday morning at 10am in Senate Hearing Room 1.

The agenda is:

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fiftieth Legislature - First Regular Session

SPECIAL JOINT MEETING AGENDA

JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING

DATE:  Friday, October 21, 2011

ROOM: SHR 1 (Senate Hearing Room 1)

TIME: 10:00 A.M.

Senators:                             Biggs

                                           Meza

                                           Pierce, Co-Chair

  

Representatives:                  Goodale

                                          Pancrazi

                                          Weiers (J), Co-Chair

 ___________________________________________________________________________

1.	Call to Order
2.	Overview of Redistricting Process and Mapping
3.	Overview of Draft Legislative and Congressional Maps
4.	Discussion of Pinal County
5.	Discussion of Yavapai County
6.	Public Testimony
7.	Adjourn

 -----

From the looks of the agenda, this will certainly be a propaganda event. Having put calls in to all six members of the committee yesterday, I was only able to speak with one of them. 

Democratic Sen. Robert Meza, as soon as I posed my first question, which was hardly confrontational (I simply asked what he thought about the committee), made an excuse to get off of the phone. He promised to call me back shortly thereafter, but never did.

Never having met Rep. Pancrazi, I cannot say how active of a role she would take in the hearing. However, since she represents LD24 (Yuma), it's very likely it will be difficult for her, logistically, on such short notice, to participate. The bottom line is that if the Republicans had any intention of this committee being legitimately bipartisan, there are numerous other Democratic state lawmakers who would have been more likely to contribute to genuine dialogue.

Expect news coverage on this hearing but if there is minimal citizen turnout, the GOP will certainly attempt to seize some momentum in the propaganda war it and UNfair Trust have engaged in over the last year. Their attorneys (Cantelme and Liburdi) have not, to my knowledge, been overtly active in the second round hearings being held by the AIRC. Whether they show up and present tomorrow or just work behind the scenes to organize those hostile to the independent commission is yet to be seen. But the group's influence will certainly be seen somehow.

Arizona citizens supportive of independent redistricting should try to show up.