By Steve Lawrence

SACRAMENTO - Three civil rights groups and two legislative committees have jumped into a fight over Gov. Schwarzenegger’s attempt to change the way legislative and congressional districts are drawn in California.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the William C. Velasquez Institute and the Congress on Racial Equality Legal Defense Fund filed lawsuits Wednesday challenging the placement of Schwarzenegger’s proposal on the Nov. 8 special election ballot.
Meanwhile, the Senate and Assembly elections committees announced a joint hearing next month on a controversy surrounding signature gathering to qualify the initiative, Proposition 77, for the ballot.
Schwarzenegger’s press secretary, Margita Thompson, characterized the lawsuits and the hearing as attempts by “opponents of reform” to sidetrack the measure.
The measure would take the power to draw districts away from the Legislature and give it to a panel of retired judges.
Schwarzenegger contends that districts drawn by lawmakers tend to favor incumbents and maintain partisan lineups in the Legislature and Congress.
Supporters of Proposition 77 have acknowledged using two versions of the proposal - one to gather signatures and another that was given to the attorney general’s office to prepare a title and summary of the proposal for the petitions.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer said the discrepancy violated the state constitution and has filed a lawsuit trying to remove the measure from the November ballot.
A hearing on his lawsuit is scheduled Thursday in Sacramento County Superior Court. The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund filed a related suit Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, contending state elections officials should have obtained clearance from the U.S. Justice Department before certifying the initiative for the ballot.
A MALDEF attorney, Steve Reyes, said any change in election practices requires pre-approval from the Justice Department to protect minority voting rights.
“We are not really attacking the merits of Proposition 77, just the way it got certified for the ballot,” he said.
The William C. Velasquez Institute and the Congress on Racial Equality Legal Defense Fund filed a suit in Sacramento County Superior Court that also challenges the proposal because it would require the ex-judges to try to redraw the districts in time for next year’s elections.