Re-districting in California: An end to gerrymandering?

[BvBPL]

Commissions certainly do take such issues under consideration. The Commonwealth where I live is debating such a thing right now.

Why would a geographically centered district be any superior than any other means of districting? You can district by geography, by race, by politics, or even by sartorial choices; all of these seem to me to be equally arbitrary. Why not have a district for people that wear hats?

The preceding was a paid promotional piece for BvBPL, the clear choice for Fedora and Trilby District 5.

 

[aronnax]

Commissions certainly do take such issues under consideration. The Commonwealth where I live is debating such a thing right now.

Why would a geographically centered district be any superior than any other means of districting? You can district by geography, by race, by politics, or even by sartorial choices; all of these seem to me to be equally arbitrary. Why not have a district for people that wear hats?

The preceding was a paid promotional piece for BvBPL, the clear choice for Fedora and Trilby District 5.

Because geography isn't an arbitrary measure. A representative area serves to well... represent an area. They are used to voice the concerns of a local community and people who live together tend to experience the same problems as each other. Geography has always serve to divide people into sections. A big hill between two villages, a river that divides a city etc.
Even human-made geography divides people. A highway or ring road can divide people into local communes like a stream or valley.