EDITORIAL BACK TO DRAWING BOARD SMALLER JUDICIAL DISTRICTS ARE NOT THE ANSWER.

STATE Sen. George Runner has identified a real problem with the way Californians elect Superior Court judges: Most voters cast judicial ballots without even a clue as to a candidate's record or qualifications.

But it's not clear that the answer Runner proposes is a solution.

Runner is sponsoring a constitutional amendment that would split up Los Angeles County into 12 judicial districts. The idea is that by making judges serve smaller areas, the public would be more likely to pay attention and get informed.

Maybe, but under Runner's plan each district could still have as many as 36 judges - which is a lot for voters to get a handle on.

Moreover, Runner's proposed system has the same fundamental flaw as the old one: Few voters have the time or training to pore over a jurist's life work and render an informed decision.

Typically, voters only pay attention to judicial races if one of the candidates has been involved in some sort of egregious scandal. Runner's proposal, although well intended, is unlikely to change that.