SACRAMENTO — California Democrats on Monday kicked off the method to redraw the state’s congressional districts, a rare motion they mentioned was essential to neutralize efforts by President Trump and Texas Republicans to extend the variety of GOP lawmakers in Congress.
If accredited by state lawmakers this week, Californians will vote on the poll measure, labeled Proposition 50, in a particular election in November.
At a information convention unveiling the laws, Senate President Professional Tem Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Meeting Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) mentioned they agreed with Gov. Gavin Newsom that California should reply to Trump’s efforts to “rig” the 2026 midterms by working to lowered by half the variety of Republicans within the state’s 52-member congressional delegation.
They mentioned doing so is important to stymieing the president’s far-right agenda.
“I wish to make one factor very clear, I’m not comfortable to be right here. We didn’t select this struggle. We don’t need this struggle,” mentioned Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park). “However with our democracy on the road, we can’t run away from this struggle, and when the mud settles on election day, we are going to win.”
Republicans accused Democrats of making an attempt to subvert the need of the voters, who handed impartial redistricting 15 years in the past, for their very own partisan targets.
“The residents seized again management of the ability from the politicians in 2010,” mentioned Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego), flanked by GOP legislators and indicators within the Capitol rotunda that mentioned, “Rigged map” and “Defend honest elections.”
“Let me be very clear,” DeMaio mentioned. “Gavin Newsom and different politicians have been mendacity in wait, with emphasis on mendacity … to grab again management.”
After Trump urged Texas to redraw its congressional districts so as to add 5 new GOP members to Congress, Newsom and California Democrats started calling to briefly reconfigure the present congressional district boundaries, which had been drawn by the voter-approved impartial redistricting fee in 2021.
Different states are additionally now contemplating redrawing their congressional districts, escalating the political battle over management of the U.S. Home of Representatives. Congressional districts are sometimes reconfigured as soon as each decade after the U.S. census.
Newsom, different Democratic lawmakers and labor leaders launched a marketing campaign supporting the redrawing of California’s congressional districts on Thursday, and proposed maps had been despatched to state legislative leaders on Friday.
The measures that lawmakers will take up this week would:
- Give Californians the ability to amend the state Structure and approve new maps, drawn by Democrats, that may be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 congressional elections, if any GOP-led states approve their very own maps.
- Present funding for the November particular election.
- Return the state to a voter-approved impartial redistricting fee to redraw congressional districts after the 2030 census.
Whereas Texas and several other different GOP-led states are contemplating an uncommon mid-decade redistricting to maintain the Republican Get together’s maintain on Congress, Ohio is an anomaly. If its congressional districts will not be accredited on a bipartisan foundation, they’re legitimate for less than two basic elections and might then be redrawn.
McGuire mentioned California would go ahead if Ohio does.
“The state of Ohio has made it clear that they’re wanting to have the ability to proceed. They’re one of many few states in the US of America that truly permit for … mid-decade redistricting,” he mentioned. “We firmly imagine that they need to cool it, pull again, as a result of in the event that they do, so will California.”
Republicans responded by calling for a federal investigation into the California Democratic redistricting plan, and vowed to file a number of lawsuits in state and federal courtroom, together with two this week.
“We’re going to litigate this each step of the best way, however we imagine that this may even be rejected on the poll field, within the courtroom of public opinion,” DeMaio mentioned.
He additionally referred to as for a 10-year ban on holding elected workplace for state legislators who vote in assist of calling the particular election, though he didn’t say how he would attempt to do this.
McGuire dismissed the criticism and threats of authorized motion, saying the Republicans had been extra involved about political self-preservation than the need of California voters or the rule of regulation.
“California Republicans are actually clutching their pearls due to self-interest. Not one California Republican spoke up within the Legislature, within the Home, when Texas made the choice to have the ability to eradicate 5 traditionally Black and brown congressional districts. Not one,” he mentioned. “What I’d say: Spend extra time on the issue. The issue is Donald Trump.”
