It's rare to attend a media availability and hear the speakers say, hey this proposal has some flaws but it's better than nothing at all.

But that's exactly what representatives of government reform groups said today in their endorsement of the redistricting initiative, Proposition 77.

Throwing their weight behind the measure to transfer political map drawing to a panel of retired judges is California Common Cause, California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), and TheRestofUs.org.

The Schwarzenegger camp quickly put out a press release welcoming the groups into the fold, but it didn't take much reading between the lines to tell these groups are ready for any reform of the process, even if it's not the best reform.

For example, Prop 77 uses a panel of retired judges to draw districts, judges selected in part by leaders of the Legislature. "I wouldn't have limited it to judges," said Steve Blackledge, CALPIRG's legislative director. "I would have diversified the group of independent folks who are drawing the districts."

Derek Cressman, director of TheRestofUs.org, said he thinks real reform would be to have more than one legislator from each district, a multi-representative structure he argues would be more reflective of diverse communities. But he argues Prop 77 will at least shake up the system, even if it the only real result would be the defeat of some long-time incumbent legislators.