TODAY IN GOTHAM GAZETTE
Gotham Gazette, a publication of Citizens Union Foundation, brings New Yorkers smart and insightful coverage of local news and issues. Click here for today's stories.
GERRYMANDERED DISTRICT MAPS ARE THE INEVITABLE RESULT OF A POLITICIZED PROCESS
In testimony today in Manhattan before LATFOR, the state's task force on redistricting, the state's task force on redistricting, Citizens Union called on LATFOR to improve its maps by reducing the overall population deviation used, drawing districts that better adhere to communities of interest, respecting boundaries of cities and counties, and creating opportunities for minorities to elect candidates of their choice, rather than blatantly manipulating district size and shape to maintain the majority parties' grip on power.02/02/12
PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAPS FOR STATE LEGISLATURE FAIL TO ADHERE TO OBJECTIVE CRITERIA
Citizens Union testified in Albany today to the legislative task force responsible for drawing district lines, LATFOR, noting that the proposed lines fail to adhere to reform principles to provide fairer maps. The testimony noted that counties and cities are divided unnecessarily, and that districts are far from compact and fail to protect communities of interest. The maps also paired minority legislators against each other, while preserving the districts of incumbent majority members. CU also made clear to LATFOR that it would ask Governor Cuomo to veto these lines if they are not changed to be fair and reflect the criteria outlined in his redistricting reform legislation. 01/31/12
ReShapeNY CALLS FOR IMPARTIAL REDISTRICTING PROCESS BEFORE 2012 MAPS ARE FINALIZED
As state legislators return to Albany, ReShapeNY today released a statement calling on them to honor their commitments to reform the redistricting process before 2012 legislative districts are finalized. 01/11/12
CITIZENS UNION APPLAUDS GOVERNOR CUOMO'S SUPPORT FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
In a statement yesterday, Executive Director Dick Dadey praised Governor Cuomo for announcing in his State of the State speech strong support for campaign finance reform, long seen by CU as fundamental to changing the culture in Albany. However, redistricting reform must be realized, too. 01/05/12
COURT UPHOLDS CITY CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW
Citizens Union applauded
the Second Circuit of the US Court of Appeals today for upholding
crucial doing business restrictions in the city's campaign finance law.
The law limits contributions of those who do business with the city,
exempts these contributions from receiving a public match, and bans
contributions from LLCs and LLPs. CU had submitted an amicus brief supporting the city law in 2010. 12/21/11
CITIZENS UNION MAKES CASE FOR REDISTRICTING REFORM WITH COMPREHENSIVE REPORT
With time slowly running out to pass redistricting reform before the 2012 district maps are drawn, Citizens Union released today an in-depth report demonstrating how decades of partisan gerrymandering has undermined the workings of our democracy and governance in New York State. Download the executive summary, the body of the report, and the appendices. 11/21/11
CITIZENS UNION TESTIFIES TO CFB ON RULES FOR DISCLOSURE OF INDEPENDENT POLITICAL SPENDING
Citizens Union testified today to the NYC Campaign Finance Board on their draft regulations for disclosure of independent expenditures. The testimony supported robust disclosure of independent political spending that seeks to influence voters during campaign season, and made recommendations to clarify the draft rules. Citizens Union first recommended the disclosure of independent political spending to the City Charter Revision Commission in 2010, and the voters approved the Commission’s recommendations on this issue during the 2010 General Election. The Campaign Finance Board is now developing the rules to implement the new law. 10/27/11
CITIZENS UNION CALLS FOR NEW WAY ON REDISTRICTING REFORM
Citizens Union today joined with former New York City Mayor Ed Koch at a press conference to call for legislators to pass redistricting reform this fall in a special session in Albany rather than continue with the same partisan process run by the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR). In doing so, Citizens Union put forth a two-step proposal aimed at trying to break the partisan impasse. This proposal would embody the principles of creating an impartial process undertaken by an independent body guided by clearly-defined criteria and tie it to passage of a much stronger constitutional amendment that would bring permanent change to the redistricting process in 2021. Read more about the proposal in Citizens Union's testimony before today's LATFOR public hearing in Manhattan. 09/21/11
CITIZENS UNION ANALYSIS: GERRYMANDERING IN QUEENS HURTS MINORITY REPRESENTATION
Citizens Union and members of ReShapeNY testified at today's Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) hearing held in Queens that gerrymandering in that borough is shortchanging minority representation. Citizens Union released an analysis showing a stark disparity between the Queens population of Asian Americans and Latinos and the proportion of state legislators who are Asian or Latino. 09/07/11
DICK DADEY AND ED KOCH CALL FOR SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO PASS REDISTRICTING REFORM
As the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR), the body currently responsible for drawing district lines, holds its first public meeting in Albany, Dick Dadey of Citizens Union and former Mayor Ed Koch of New York Uprising released a statement calling on the state legislature to convene a special session this month and pass redistricting reform. 07/06/11
GOOD GOVERNMENT GROUPS DISAPPOINTED WITH GOVERNOR'S CALL FOR SPECIAL ELECTIONS Today Citizens Union and six other civic reform groups released a statement expressing disappointment with Governor Cuomo's call for special elections to fill six vacant seats in the state assembly. The special elections will take place on Primary Day which will likely result in lower voter turnout, increased confusion at the polls and potentially higher costs to localities, as well as circumvent the democratic process by not allowing voters to pick their candidates. 07/1/11
AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION FOR MANDATE RELIEF, BUT NOT FOR REDISTRICTING?
In a statement today, Citizens Union asked how the State Senate can justify the creation of an independent commission for mandate relief but not for redistricting. Although Senate Republicans claimed that creating an advisory but independent commission to draw district lines is an impermissible delegation of legislative authority, the Mandate Relief Council introduced by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and presumed to be contained in the final omnibus Affordable Housing Act is an example of just such a delegation of power. 06/24/11
ASIAN AMERICAN COALITION ANNOUNCES SUPPORT OF ReShapeNY At a press conference today, The MinKwon Center for Community
Action and other Asian- American organizations in New York announced the
creation of an Asian-American coalition to advocate for redistricting reform and
that they would support Citizens Union's ReShapeNY Campaign. Citizens
Union also released data today identifying 15 Assembly and 6 State Senate
Districts with Asian Americans equal to or exceeding 20 percent of the
population. 05/27/11
CITIZENS UNION CALLS FOR REFORMS TO CITY LOBBYING LAWS
Citizens Union today released a report outlining fourteen reforms to the city’s lobbying laws on the day it is testifying before the recently formed City Lobbying Commission which is charged with reviewing the laws. If adopted, the recommendations proposed would limit the disproportionate influence of those lobbyists who provide paid political campaign services or raise money for candidates, and also streamline the reporting process. Read the press release. 05/11/11
CITIZENS UNION TESTIFIES BEFORE CITY LOBBYING COMMISSION IN SUPPORT OF EASIER FILING PROCESS
Citizens Union testified yesterday to the City Lobbying Commission on lobbying filing requirements for the city and state, calling for a streamlined process that diminishes overlap between city and state filings and makes information available in a single, user-friendly database. CU cautioned that simplification of the process should be balanced with the need to continue ensuring transparency and full disclosure. 03/31/11
CITIZENS UNION DECRIES EXTENSION OF GERRYMANDERING IN STATE BUDGET Citizens Union released
a statement expressing its disappointment with the state budget
agreement extending the funding and work of the Legislative Task Force on
Demographic Research and Reapportionment (known as LATFOR), which is the current
body charged with drawing legislative district lines. Citizens Union called
on the legislature to keep their campaign commitments by enacting redistricting
reform this year to put in place an independent commission to draw lines for
2012. Reform legislation in the legislature is gaining support, such as
Governor Cuomo's reform legislation and other bills introduced by Senator
Michael Gianaris, Senator David Valesky, and Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries
which would create an independent commission. 03/30/11
CITIZENS UNION RELEASES POSITION ON PENSION FORFEITURE FOR HIGH-RANKING PUBLIC OFFICIALS, FAVORS JUDICIAL DISCRETION
Citizens Union released its position
on pension forfeiture, supporting judicial discretion in the sentencing process
to determine whether forfeiture of taxpayer-funded pensions should occur for
elected officials, judges, and state agency heads. Judges would consider a set
of factors and a list of specified crimes in determining whether full or partial
forfeiture is an appropriate penalty. Citizens Union supports applying this
form of forfeiture to both current and prospective public officials, and will
seek statutory and constitutional changes. 03/23/11
CITIZENS UNION LAUNCHES ReShapeNY, A STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN FOR REDISTRICTING REFORM
Today in Albany and New York City, Citizens Union launched ReShapeNY, a statewide campaign to achieve redistricting reform in New York State. ReShapeNY is a broad coalition of thirty civic organizations with distinguished co-chairs including Dr. Calvin Butts, former state comptroller candidate Harry Wilson, former Republican State Senator Frank Padavan, former Mayor Ed Koch, and Hispanic Federation President Lillian Rodríguez López. ReShapeNY called for the end to partisan gerrymandering, proposing an independent, impartial and politically balanced citizens redistricting commission to draw fair district boundaries through a process that allows for ample public input. Read the press release. 03/14/11
MAYOR KOCH AND CITIZENS UNION PRAISE SPEAKER SILVER AND ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORT OF REDISTRICTING BILL, CALL ON STATE SENATORS TO HONOR PLEDGE TO PASS REDISTRICTING REFORM THIS YEAR
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey released a statement heralding news that at least 80 members of the Assembly, both Democrats and Republicans, have signed on or are committed to supporting Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's redistricting reform bill. The Governor’s bill would establish an independent citizens redistricting commission to replace the current process where legislators draw their own district lines. Mayor Koch and Citizens Union now call on Senate Republicans to honor their campaign pledges to support an independent citizens redistricting commission. 03/03/11
CITIZENS UNION RELEASES SECOND REPORT ON TURNOVER IN STATE LEGISLATURE, JOINS OTHER GOOD GOVERNMENT GROUPS IN CALLING FOR STRONG ETHICS LEGISLATION
Citizens Union today release its second report on turnover in the New York State legislature finding that a crime wave is accelerating as the number of legislators who left in the past six years because of ethical and criminal misconduct has tripled over that of the previous six years. In fact, since 1999 one of every eleven legislators who left office did so under a cloud of ethical or criminal misconduct. At a press conference today Citizens Union, the Brennan Center, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and NYPIRG are calling for the immediate passage of ethics legislation that creates a strong mechanism for effective independent oversight and enforcement of ethics laws. 02/14/11
GOTHAM GAZETTE UNVEILS COUNCILPEDIA, AN INNOVATIVE ONLINE TOOL TO TRACK MONEY IN CITY POLITICS
Gotham Gazette, a publication of Citizens Union Foundation, today unveiled Councilpedia, a one of a kind tool that brings together in a single place New York City elected officials’ campaign contributions and expenditures, and then allows readers to contribute their knowledge about the possible connections between the cash flow and political decision making. Read about it in the Daily News or in the press release. 02/03/11
CITIZENS UNION COMMENDS CUOMO ACTION ON ETHICS TRAINING
Citizens Union applauds Governor Andrew Cuomo for quickly emphasizing the importance of ethics in his administration by issuing an executive order requiring Executive Chamber staff and senior officials such as agency commissioners and their counsels to undergo ethics training from the Commission on Public Integrity (CPI) every two years. The order is important in ensuring that top government officials and Executive Chamber staff are familiar with ethics laws, which should reduce violations incurred because of lack of knowledge of the law. Read the governor's press release. 01/03/11
REPORT BY NYPIRG, CITIZENS UNION AND OTHER CIVIC GROUPS FINDS SPECIAL INTERESTS DOMINATED 2010 CAMPAIGN FUNDING
Citizens Union joined with its good government colleagues, New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), the League of Women Voters, and Common Cause, in releasing a report on the funding of campaigns for state office in 2010. The report reaffirms what has been routine in Albany for far too long: candidates for office overwhelmingly rely on special interests, lobbyists, legislative leaders and wealthy individuals to fund their campaigns. Albany needs to reform its campaign finance laws, close loopholes, lower contribution limits, restrict intra-party transfers, and establish a public matching system to fund campaigns similar to that in New York City. 01/03/11
CITIZENS UNION AND CIVIC GROUPS APPLAUD SENATE REFORM PACKAGE AFFIRMING CAMPAIGN PLEDGES
Citizens Union and its good government colleagues applauded members of the State Senate for affirming their commitment to creating an independent redistricting commission, as well as reforming ethics oversight and the state budget process. In announcing a package of reforms, including legislation supported and drafted by Citizens Union with Senator Valesky and Assemblymember Gianaris, the Senators affirmed pledges made to NY Uprising during the campaign season. 12/20/10
CITIZENS UNION CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION AT STATE SENATE HEARING
Citizens Union today advocated for the creation of an independent commission to draw the lines for congressional and state legislative districts in testimony at a State Senate hearing on redistricting reform. Citizens Union called for a commission whose members would be selected through a two-step filtering process that would distance those drawing the lines from legislators and others who have an inherent conflict of interest in participating in the process. An independent commission, along with specific guidelines for drawing district lines and greater transparency of the process, are the three important pillars of redistricting reform emphasized by Citizens Union. Read the press release to learn more.12/14/10
CITIZENS UNION JOINS MAYOR BLOOMBERG'S CALL FOR ELECTION REFORMS AND TESTIFIES BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW VOTING PROCESS ON ELECTION DAY
Citizens Union joined Mayor Bloomberg and city and state legislators at a press conference to announce a set of reforms designed to make voting more convenient and flexible for all New Yorkers. The four reforms include early voting, allowing for ballots to be filled out at home, modernizing the registration process and extending the voting registration deadline. The Mayor also released a report finding that New York's election laws are the most restrictive in the country, and ranking the state last of all fifty states and the District of Columbia for voter access, and only 47th for voter turnout. Citizens Union also testified before the New York City Council's Governmental Operations Committee regarding reforms to election administration and voter participation. updated 12/07/10
CITIZENS UNION COMMENDS DECISION TO PUT SAMPLE BALLOTS ONLINE Citizens Union released a statement commending the City Board of Elections for passing a motion to put sample ballots online for future elections so that voters will be able to see the design of the ballot in addition to the contests they will vote for prior to Election Day. 12/01/10
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