Senate Democrats have now weighed in with a new offer on political redistricting, one that had been the subject of days of closed door negotiations... but one which did not result in a compromise.

The newest version of SCA 3 was rolled out today at a Capitol news conference, a redistricting bill carried for months, in various forms, by Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach).

At one point, there was talk that SCA 3 would be a compromise between Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the governor's office. But for now it is a Democratic plan only, and one even Lowenthal admits may not even have full support from his caucus.

It also shares just about nothing in common with the initiative endorsed by the governor and written by anti-tax and recall crusader Ted Costa.

Costa's plan has retired judges redrawing districts. SCA 3 would give the power to a 7-member commission of citizens: 4 selected by the Legislature (2 by Dems, 2 by Reps), and one each by the governor, the California Judicial Council, and the president of the University of California. 4 of the 7 have to agree to any new political boundaries.

Some good government groups have suggested that 4 votes isn't enough, that it should take a supermajority. Why? Well, one worst-case scenario is that all 4 members appointed by the Legislature could agree to cut a deal on a new map, similar to the one cut by both parties in 2001.

But the other big sticking point for all of this: when? Republicans maintain they want redistricting before the 2010 census, while Democrats say that's a deal breaker. And to make matters more complicated, GOP members of Congress, especially those in leadership positions, have indicated they also oppose mid-decade redistricting.

All of that may sound like an awful lot of issues to resolve, but there's still a sense at the Capitol that redistricting is the one reform issue most likely to end in compromise.

However, that buzz may simply mean that the odds of avoiding a November showdown-- on everything-- are getting slimmer.