Reapportionment begins in earnest

A key element of California's political-reform effort will gain steam this week when members are chosen for the citizen's commission that voters have put in charge of redrawing the state's famously gerrymandered legislative districts. Kevin Modesti in the Daily news.

The commission's importance has grown since the Nov. 2 election. The easy passage of Proposition 20 gave the panel power to map congressional districts as well as state Senate and Assembly districts. A sweep of legislative races by incumbents highlighted calls for a more level playing field. And voters reiterated their support by rejecting Proposition 27, which would have eliminated the citizens commission and returned the power to draw district lines back to the Legislature.

The success of Proposition 20 showed how much Californians want to take district line-drawing out of the hands of self-serving office-holders, analysts said.