California Redistricting Shenanigans? I Hope Not.

This was on the Ballotpedia page and I thought it quite interesting.  I was unaware there were questions about partisanship but that seems to be true no matter what happens.  After attending the hearing in Auburn on May 19, 2011, I cam away with a bit of foreboding about the political side of things.  There was only one person from Northern California and he was a old democrat.  Rural California was not really represented and when I saw the draft maps I could see the leftside bent.  But hope springs eternal and hopefully the makeup of of government will better reflect the breakout of our political party's.

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"July 15, 2011

Edited by Geoff Pallay
Those that are interested in redistricting have been paying particularly close attention to California in light of the new California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
At first, the publicity was positive, as California was seen as a laboratory of redistricting -- a chance to see what a truly independent commission could produce when it comes to fairer maps. Lately however, much of that attention has been negative.
After draft maps were released in June, minority groups were highly critical of the plan. A second set of draft maps was slated to be released in early July, but the deadline was pushed back to allow for more comments. Now, however, that deadline will not be met at all. Commissioners decided this week not to publish any second set of draft maps. Instead, it will focus on finalizing the maps that will be submitted to the Secretary of State by August 15.
Earlier this year members of both political parties fueled speculation that the commission was acting in an overtly partisan partisan manner.
Of course, the maps will more than likely be an improvement from what already exists in California -- where some districts are so gerrymandered that you could drive a golf ball across their narrowest points. But the ultimate question many Californians seem to be wondering is whether the commission will still leave something to be desired. Will the commissioners truly find a way to please all parties or will the new maps be a marginal improvement at best?"