California: lots of suspicion on Arnold's plan for redistricting commission
The San Francisco chronicle reports: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to change the way California draws its political boundaries, but he'll have to tiptoe through a bipartisan minefield to do it.
Democrats suspicious of a partisan power grab, Republicans worried about their seats, and voters who've turned down eight similar efforts since 1926 all stand in the way of the governor's plan to remove politicians from the redistricting process.
The push for change got a boost in November when voters had their first chance to deal with the new districts drawn by the Legislature after the 2000 census. In 153 elections for Assembly, state Senate and Congress, not a single incumbent was beaten and not one seat changed parties.
The results were good news for the Republicans and Democrats who had crafted the incumbent-friendly political districts but a blow to Schwarzenegger, who had barnstormed across California in an unsuccessful effort to elect some moderate Republicans to the Democrat-run state Legislature. -- SACRAMENTO / Some suspect governor's plan to redraw district lines / Schwarzenegger hasn't decided whether to call election, aides say