Editorial: California’s election results require patience. That’s a good thing. No one wants to go through the pain that is the California legislative redistricting process before their eyes have been opened. If California is going to be the leader of the nation in reforming redistricting, we must have a clear understanding of why redistricting is so difficult to do well and we must be willing to do the work.
It will take a long time for California to get on the path to reform. And that includes the way that we draw legislative districts. The public, and the media, have been waiting for months for the maps to be made public.
The fact is that, despite the best efforts of those who know best, the final maps are not yet ready for public release. And in the process, we have lost not one ounce of credibility and we have allowed partisan politics to overtake our democracy.
To say that California is a tough place to draw district lines is not hyperbole. Legislators here, including those who are up for re-election next year, often spend their careers working to find workable solutions to the problem.
But now that we are in the midst of a redistricting process where partisanship is at a fever pitch, Californians need to be calm in our response and recognize that while California is unique, this is an issue that needs to be addressed by states across the nation, and nationally.
It’s time for the public to have an open dialogue about districting. To think we can solve the problem by ourselves is a dangerous illusion. The people who put this process on the line deserve to know the facts and the process by which those facts are brought before the public.
California’s redistricting process is a perfect example of the benefits and problems that can result when our democracy is divided along partisan lines.
While no one wants to live under a system where every election is decided by an electoral college vote that has no bearing on the people’s interests, the California Legislature has found
