Redistricting -- lege committee whitewash UPDATED 5:15pm Monday

The Joint Committee on Interfering with Independent Redistricting completed its work this afternoon, adopting a 43-page report it will forward to the entire legislature which reportedly will be called into a special session starting at 1pm tomorrow.

From the opening paragraph, the report recommends the legislature tell the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission

the process used to arrive at draft congressional and legislative maps is so fundamentally flawed that the resulting maps have been unconstitutionally created and the only remedy is to start the process over. 

Before voting to adopt the report, the committee took public testimony from a few people, including Elizabeth Bernstein who drove from Bisbee as well as from tea partiers Shirley Dye, AJ LaFaro and Wes Harris. Crazy Jack Harper also weighed in. I was on the phone and only was able to listen to Ms. Bernstein, who made sane, rational comments that she felt interfering with the IRC was unjustified and improper.

The others I mentioned, all have previously testified before the AIRC expressing their discontent in various and sundry but generally colorful, angry ways.

After Bernstein, Co-chair Jim Weiers reiterated what several lawmakers have tried to claim already, that the committee was only wanting to make recommendations to the AIRC. However, from the language in the report, this is not an innocuous exercise intended only to advise the commission.

The Arizona Capitol Times reported having confirmed news of the special session, but legislative staff could only confirm to me that they have been put on notice that a special session is likely. No agenda has been released and no word yet from the governor's office.

When I called the governor's office moments ago, I was told there was no word anywhere in the office that she was going to call the special session. That doesn't necessarily mean she won't call it anyway.

Channel 12 (KPNX) reporter Brahm Resnik reported on facebook and twitter at 4pm MST:

#AZGOP senators called to closed caucus meeting at 12:30p Tuesday. "Be prompt." Tick, tock on @GovBrewer to call special session #AIRC.

Ugh!

-----

UPDATE

Perhaps THE most poignant question that has yet to be asked is "WHY NOW?" Why is it so freakin' urgent for Brewer and the legislature to BLOW UP the AIRC now?

The answer could be in that the 30-day comment period for the draft maps will be over next week and the AIRC, at any time after that, could vote to finalize the Congressional map with little or no change.

State Rep. Chad Campbell will, in a few minutes be taping a segment on tonight's Horizon dealing with these issues.

It airs at 7pm MST on KAET Channel 8 in Phoenix and should be available in the morning at

http://www.azpbs.org/horizon/index.php