House Editor David Wasserman writes: California GOP Rep. David Dreier’s long-anticipated retirement announcement does little to change the political landscape in his backyard. After all, the state’s Citizen’s Redistricting Commission split his district seven ways and left him with few good options. His home, the new 32nd CD, is a heavily Latino district where Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano is running. The race in the only district he might have been able to contest – the San Bernardino-based 31st CD – is an already-engaged three-way race between GOP Rep. Gary Miller, GOP state Sen. Bob Dutton, and Democratic Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar.
However, California’s delegation is headed for a makeover that may be more generational than partisan, and the retirement of the 16-term Dreier, chair of the House Rules Committee, is more proof. Even controlling for the size of its delegation, California has accumulated twice the seniority of other states in terms of chairmanships and leadership positions, in part because 2002’s incumbent-protection map allowed so many members to focus more on amassing clout than defending their seats. Now, seven members are
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