Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "California Citizens Redistricting Commission" in English language version.
California's legislative elections in 2012 are more competitive than most of the country, based on Ballotpedia's Competitiveness index which captures the extent of electoral competitiveness exhibited in state legislative elections.
There were also critics of the citizen's redistricting process, and some reports indicated that the Democratic Party, in particular, subverted the process in order to get the map drawn in its favor. (Creating a truly independent process for redistricting has proven very difficult, though California's attempt has earned praise.)