[AUDIO: Ben Adler gives a summary of budget activity and redistricting news at the Capitol]
The maps come from the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The panel approved its first draft of new congressional and legislative districts Friday.
Commissioner Vince Barabba is a Republican from the Santa Cruz area and the former director of the U-S Census Bureau. He says unlike previous redistricting efforts, incumbent politicians had no part in this process.
Barabba: "By law, we were precluded from talking with them or even considering where they live or the existing districts. So when people say, you've really made this more competitive - that is a result of doing the things that were in the constitution."
Barabba says the commission drew the maps based on factors like equal population, the federal Voting Rights Act and "communities of interest" like regions and minorities.
The commission will release the second draft on July 7th. The final district maps are due in mid-August.
You can view the maps here.
