La Opinión, News Report, Posted: Nov 03, 2011

LOS ANGELES -- Editors of La Opinión argue that it was political extremism, not gerrymandering, that led to the drop in support for the Republican Party in California that was reflected in the state's newly drawn redistricting maps. 

"Not everyone was satisfied with the recent redistricting process," editors write. "Latinos, for instance, do not have enough Hispanic-majority districts to reflect the group’s growth in the past decade."

The California Supreme Court recently rejected a lawsuit filed by the Republican Party that argued that redistricting had negatively impacted the GOP, especially in state Senate seats.

"During the last 10 years, the GOP’s influence, unlike the number of Latinos, has been decreasing in California," the editorial notes. "State elections have reflected this trend, which Republicans themselves are responsible for because they assumed positions that are far from those of most Californians, such as regarding immigration. The obstructionist stance Republican lawmakers have taken in Sacramento has not helped improve the party’s image either."

"We think Republicans could recover the political ground they have lost in this state if they are more in tune with Californians’ way of thinking, rather than assuming extreme, inflexible positions," the editorial concludes. "Extremism has led the GOP to lose support. This drop is noticeable in the redistricting map."