SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is signaling that he will push strongly for redistricting reform next year to change California's gerrymandered election process, relying on the same bipartisan course he steered successfully this year.

Voters rejected the governor's redistricting ballot initiative in last year's special election. Legislative leaders were unable to work out a deal in time for this November's vote, but there appears to be renewed interest from both parties to fix a flawed system...

Doolittle rejected any approach that would involve retired judges, such as Schwarzenegger's failed initiative from a year ago, Proposition 77. Under that plan, a panel of three retired judges would draw new districts.

Other proposed schemes involve commissions of voters chosen at random by the secretary of state's office or panels comprised of partisans and independents.

All those ideas are up for discussion in the next legislative session, said David Lesher, head of the New America Foundation's California program, which has lobbied for reforms. But he said even with the most nonpartisan deal, it's likely that only 10 to 15 percent of California's legislative and congressional seats would be competitive.

"California's so balkanized, with concentrations of Democrats in urban areas and concentrations of Republicans in rural areas, there will always be seats like Doolittle's in California," he said.

Still, he added, "I think there are still far too many seats that should be more competitive than they are..."

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