California Republicans have called for the state’s Supreme Court to block Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) redistricting plan.
“Today I joined my colleagues in filing a lawsuit challenging the rushed redistricting process. California’s Constitution requires bills to be in print for 30 days, but that safeguard was ignored,” Assembly member Tri Ta announced on social media on Tuesday. “By bypassing this provision, Sacramento has effectively shut voters out of engaging in their own legislative process.”
Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, another Republican behind the effort, told Fox News, “Californians have already spoken clearly at the ballot box. In 2008, voters approved Proposition 11 to take redistricting power away from politicians and give it to an independent citizens’ commission. Two years later, with Proposition 20, voters doubled down and expanded that power to include congressional districts, passing it by a decisive 61% to 39%.”
She described Newsom’s plan as a “direct attempt to undo that mandate and put politicians back in control.”
“I’m standing up because this isn’t about partisan advantage; it’s about respecting the will of the voters who demanded fairness and transparency,” she declared.
Last week, Newsom announced the outline of a proposed constitutional amendment called The Election Rigging Response Act, which will go before Californians in November. The amendment “retains California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission and declares state policy supporting the use of fair, nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide” and “temporarily adopts new California congressional districts for use in congressional elections through 2030,” Newsom’s office said.
The legislative package further includes a bill calling for a special election on November 4, a bill establishing a new congressional map that “could be triggered to take effect under the proposed constitutional amendment if other states engage in redistricting,” the office described, and a bill authorizing “reimbursement of costs to administer the election.”
