California Redistricting

A preliminary staff draft of the California redistricting plan is available.

Joe Mathews is skeptical about the purported effects:

Redistricting supporters have claimed that this redrawing of districts will remake California's politics by creating more political competition -- and more moderates willing to compromise.

That's total bunk.

The public has grown more partisan, and Californians have sorted themselves into like-minded communities, so there's really no way for the commission to create many more competitive districts. (What's more, the commission isn't permitted to look at party data--so creating competition between the parties is pretty much off the table).