Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who is quoted towards the end of this story from the Politico website, is 100% correct.  I’ve bolded his quotes.

Redistricting and Blade Running
By David Mark, The Politico

In a move aimed at cementing House Democrats’ newly minted majority, California politicians are walking a tightrope on the volatile topic of redistricting. Under pressure from Washington, they are trying to keep their power to draw congressional district lines, while appearing to support good-government efforts to move redistricting out of politics.

California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, a Democrat, told The Politico last week that he would support and campaign for a proposed February ballot measure to hand the drawing of state Assembly and state Senate boundaries to an independent commission.

But at the behest of House Democrats, who know how vital California is to maintaining their new congressional power, Nuñez also said he would not support the measure if it deprives state lawmakers of their ability to remap congressional districts.

"I’m committed to changing the way we draw our boundaries," Nuñez said. But for members of Congress, "giving up power is a tough thing to do."

Redistricting procedures routinely draw criticism, as the pool of competitive seats in the U.S. House shrinks amid ever-improving computer map-drawing technology.

With detailed demographic data at their fingertips, politically ambitious state lawmakers are empowered to draw the lines of their own districts and those of their counterparts in Washington. The results are districts heavily weighted to one party or another. The only competition often occurs in primary elections, where candidates must appeal to the most liberal or conservative elements of their parties to win, rather than focusing on the broad center.

The issue is particularly acute in California, where control of the 53-seat congressional delegation could make or break a congressional majority.

Nuñez said in theory he is not opposed to including congressional seats in the redistricting overhaul. But doing so would draw the wrath of U.S. House Democrats from California, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. With their majority potentially threatened, the California delegation is prepared to spend $10 million fighting any ballot initiative that would take redistricting out of the hands of sitting politicians, Nuñez said during a trip to Washington to lobby for more federal aid to the Golden State.

Though technically congressional Democrats would not create their own seats after the 2010 Census, federal representatives could exert tremendous pressure on state lawmakers to shape districts. That was the case during the last redistricting, when then-state Senate President John Burton, a mentor and ally of Pelosi, oversaw a map that installed virtually all incumbents in safe seats. It was a creation of Beverly Hills campaign strategist Michael Berman, brother of U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.).

California has gone through several election cycles where no House incumbents lost or were even seriously challenged. In 2006, GOP Rep. Richard Pombo lost his Northern California seat to Democrat Jerry McNerney. Pombo was one of 22 Republican incumbents to fall.

Freshman Rep. Kevin O. McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it should not take a "wave" election to dislodge even a single House member from California and that any redistricting reform should include members of Congress.

"We are now going to pick the voters and not let the voters choose their representatives?" he said. "I believe the structure in which we get elected is wrong."

McCarthy said he would oppose and campaign against a ballot measure that exempts California’s congressional seats from being drawn by some sort of independent commission, be it retired judges or random citizens chosen by lottery.

The proposed redistricting ballot measure is a source of considerable infighting among California politicians. It would be voted on the same day in February as the state’s proposed 2008 presidential primary, aimed at giving Californians more clout in the presidential nominating contests.

The proposal would also relax term limits for state lawmakers, a move that would allow Nunez to stay in office an additional four years. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will support the term limits change only if it is coupled with a broad redistricting overhaul that covers congressional seats.

Under current limits, California legislators can serve no more than 14 years: six in the Assembly and eight in the state Senate. The ballot measure would reduce the total to 12 years but lift the limits on service in individual chambers.

Nuñez said he supports a bill introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) to turn over congressional redistricting nationwide to independent commissions.

"If you’re going to have change, you’ve got to have it at the national level," he said.

Several ballot measures to alter the redistricting process in California have failed over the past 30 years. Even House Republicans from California have been divided about the wisdom of such changes. During the last redistricting, Republicans cut a deal with state Democrats to slice and dice the electorate to the point that incumbents of both parties were protected.

McCarthy’s predecessor and mentor, former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), was critical of that approach. He contended that Republicans had a chance to pick up new seats in politically competitive, suburban-leaning areas if GOP voters were not so heavily packed into the districts of incumbents.

McCarthy made redistricting overhaul his signature issue in the state Assembly and is continuing in Congress.

"I think voters have seen their frustration grow, with millions of dollars spent to remove somebody, and still not being able to succeed," he said.  

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 7th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.