This letter was sent to the Commissioners beginning: On behalf of AARP, Advancement Project, California Common Cause, California Chamber of California Forward, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), The Greenlining Institute, League of Women Voters of California, and The Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College, we write to provide specific  recommendations to ensure that the Commission draws districts that comply with the California Constitution, and with the Voting Rights Act in particular.”  One of the signers is Kathay Feng of Common Cause, a main backer of the initiative creating the Commission.

Brendan Huffman and Brad Hertz write about the darker side of redistricting in the LA Daily News.

This article begins: “Proposed redistricting maps should frighten California’s Republicans, according to national GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who argues they’re in danger of losing even more footing in their Democrat-controlled state.”

California Progress Report offers How California Tea Partiers Hijacked Redistricting Reform.

And the reports I’ve been hearing from people watching the Commission hearings is that the Commission is full of amateurs trying to learn how to do this on the fly, and who are beginning to realize that they are going to make some people very unhappy no matter what they do.

One question I hope to explore further in upcoming weeks is what happens if there is a referendum challenge to the Commission’s plan.

Stay tuned.