Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had proposed to change the way in which congressional and state legislative districts are drawn in California. Instead of the power residing with the legislature (who has a real conflict of interest in the matter), he proposed replacing the legislature with a panel of retired judges.
The wisdom of Schwarzenegger's proposal and politics for getting past aside, The San Francisco Chronicle (definitely not one of hte governor's media supporters) offered a back-handed approval of the goal of the effort.
California, like most states, suffers from the very long term service of most House members, perhaps to the detriment of the nation. Many members of Congress, once elected are virtually unbeatable save for scandal, ambition to run for another office, old age or death. The incumbent has so many advantages that need to be blunted, but the fact that a legislature can draw a district map that threatens no-one (called a sweetheart gerrymander) offends the notion of fair play.
Competition for Congress
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