California's final redistricting plan released

A citizens’ commission that’s been revising California’s political map released its final plan on how to do that Thursday. The Citizens Redistricting Commission will vote Friday on whether to advance the maps to a final public review period.

Every decade California redraws the districts lines for Congress and the state legislature. A couple of years ago voters turned over that job to a citizen’s commission that aimed to create more competitive and compact districts.

Five Democrats, five Republicans and four independents labored on the new maps for months. The citizens’ commission released proposed political boundaries last month to get public comment.

The final version of the maps looks pretty much the same as the earlier proposal with one major exception: The commissioners voted to scrap nearly all changes to the 33rd Congressional District in South Los Angeles. Activists had complained that the new lines would have reduced African American and Latino political clout.

The Citizens’ Redistricting Commission has until two weeks from Monday to approve the maps.