REDISTRICTING OFF CA BALLOT

Another setback for the Gropenfuhrer:

A Superior Court judge on Thursday kicked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's redistricting measure off the November ballot, ruling that supporters violated California's constitution by using two versions of the initiative in the qualifying process.

"The differences are not simply typographical errors," Judge Gail Ohanesian said. "They're not merely about the format of the measure. They are not simply technical. Instead they go to the substantive terms of the measure."

The proposal, Proposition 77, is one of three initiatives that the Republican governor endorsed for the Nov. 8 special election that he called last month. It would take the power to draw legislative and congressional districts away from the Legislature and give it to a panel of three retired judges.

Margita Thompson, spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger, said the governor was disappointed in the decision and hoped that it would be overturned on appeal.

Attorney General Bill Lockyer asked the judge to order the measure off the ballot because its supporters used two versions — one to gather voter signatures and another that they gave to him to prepare a title and summary of the proposal to use on petitions.

The AP account notes that the author of the redistricting plan is one Ted Costa who, you may recall, was one of the Republicans initially behind the effort to recall Gray Davis.

Speaking of Gray Davis, Arnold sure is doing a good imitation of the Democrat through his poll numbers.