00:00Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to start by saying I thank your father for his righteous
00:09fight, and it culminated in the vote of the people that created our Independent Citizens
00:16Redistricting Commission, and it's in that spirit that I really want to encourage everybody
00:21that we should stick with that, and I want to start by saying what this is not about.
00:25It is not about Texas, and actually, you all just conceded that by your vote this morning
00:32when you amended ACA 8 to take out Texas as a condition, and that this bill that you are
00:38voting on right now doesn't have Texas as a condition and commits California to going back
00:44to gerrymandering, and you should really think twice before you go ahead and do that today.
00:51Okay, it's about power. We know that. It's about power on both sides, rigging congressional
00:58districts to get partisan results. That's what a gerrymander is. Now, the governor says it's
01:05about fighting fire with fire, and what I want to submit to you all today is that fighting
01:13fire with fire is the problem. It's not the solution. President Trump is fighting fire
01:22with fire. He saw how government was weaponized against him with a Democratic majority in Washington,
01:30D.C. in his first term. He saw how states like Illinois and Massachusetts, Hawaii, have severely
01:38gerrymandered their congressional districts in ways that ensure more Democratic members
01:43are elected. And he seeks to do the same thing in Texas. He is wrong to do so. Let me repeat
01:55it again. He is wrong to do so. Gavin is fighting fire with fire. So now he's pushing this redistricting
02:08plan, this Gavin Mander, illegally, against the Constitution, as we pointed out time and time
02:16again in the committee hearing, well, the one committee hearing we had on policy grounds.
02:23He's violating the Constitution, and the clear will of the voters, who've already spoken twice.
02:29We really don't need to ask him a third time, guys. Twice they told us they want independent
02:34redistricting fair representation. Where does it end? You move forward today, and you have the power
02:44to do so. You can do that. And Gavin can move forward. He's a governor. He has the power. Greg Abbott
02:51has the power in Texas. You move forward fighting fire with fire. What happens? You burn it all down.
03:00And in this case, it affects our most fundamental American principle, representation. Wasn't that
03:09the battle cry of our founding forebears? No taxation without representation. But the people's
03:18right to representation is exactly what will be sacrificed when we continue down this road. When
03:23after you do it, Missouri does it, or Indiana does it. Colorado's talking about doing it.
03:33At the end of that, the parties will determine who represents. And the people will be powerless
03:41to elect their own representatives. And we've already seen evidence of that and how some of these
03:48districts are proposed to be drawn. There's really only one way to stop it. Someone has to refrain from
03:59striking back and show a better way. And with that, I would like permission to read some very wise words
04:07that I think we'll be familiar. Without objection, without objection.
04:14You have heard it said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not
04:20resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
04:2730 seconds. You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
04:32But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
04:35so that you may be the sons of your father who is in heaven. For he makes the sun rise on the evil
04:40and the good. And he sends rain on the just and the unjust. You therefore must be perfect as your
04:47heavenly father is perfect. Today I'm submitting to you, let us turn the other cheek. Let us show
04:53the better way. What more powerful statement will we have if Republicans and Democrats together said
04:58enough is enough. We're not going to do this. And Texas, you shouldn't do it either.
05:03Thank you, Leader Gallagher. And one last point. I'm sorry.
05:09Our democracy will persist as long as we fight back. And if there is one
05:14weakness that we have right now in our republic,
05:18is that legislators are not standing up
05:21to executives of their own party.
05:24Thank you, Leader Gallagher.
05:25And that's what we need to do today. Thank you, Leader Gallagher.
05:29Assemblymember Carter.
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