PDQ posted a link to an article which contains a map of California Congressional districts. I suppose it looks gerrymandered, but I think that each district is a fairly distinct area. The divisions really aren't as outrageous as they may seem.

I'm in the far southern area of the Fourth Congressional District, and my area is far more densely populated than the vast, open areas of the northern part of our district. I sometimes resent the power this gives to rural forces, but I'm sure rural interests think it's fair. But as a result, my vote for Congress will never, ever make a difference. I'm doomed to be represented by a Tea Party Congressman for the rest of my days. And although my Congressman was elected only be voters from this district, I don't think the Congressman has ever actually lived in this district - he comes from the other side of Sacramento.

Redistricting takes place in California every three years. Since I was investigator-in-charge of a Federal agency in Sacramento for twenty years, I had the chance to observe redistricting fairly closely three times. At redistricting time, many political offices had maps plastered all over. It was an interesting sport to watch. And yes, I'm sure that almost-imperceptible tweaking by pros like Willie Brown, had a lot to do with the balance of the California Congressional Delegation.

The United States is in an era of partisan politics, where one's political party affiliation has far more importance than one's geographical location. Maybe it would be more fair for states to elect members of Congress on a statewide basis, with proportional representation according to the number of votes cast for each party.