California Democrats Introduce Redistricting Legislative Package to ‘Save Democracy’

California’s legislative Democrats held a press conference Monday morning to justify kicking the independent California Redistricting Commission to the curb for the next few elections. They introduced their package of three bills, SB 280, AB 604, and ACA 8, described in detail by California Globe contributor Chris Micheli here.

In an effort to influence the midterm elections, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced their intentions to blow up California’s independent redistricting commission, effectively tampering with the state’s electoral maps mid-decade… because TRUMP.

The state is heavily in debt, wildfires are burning, Pacific Palisades is not getting rebuilt after the devastating January fires, crime is still high, gas prices are high, poverty is the highest in the nation, homeless still live on the streets… In short, California is a hot mess, and the governor is running for President instead.

As Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher (R-Gerber) said on Friday when the newly drawn electoral maps were leaked, “These are rigged maps drawn in secret to give Democrat politicians more power by dismantling the independent commission Californians created to keep them out of map-drawing.”

“These maps shred the fair, transparent process voters demanded. The independent commission spent months gathering public input, holding 196 public meetings, hearing 3,870 verbal comments and collecting 32,410 written submissions before finalizing the current maps. Democrat politicians are throwing that work in the trash for a rigged scheme cooked up behind closed doors.”

Remember Leader Gallagher’s rundown.

Monday, Democrats placed all of the blame on President Donald Trump for the gerrymandering they have done.

“We are here today because Donald Trump and Republicans are trying to rig the next election,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) said. “This is about the people of California,” she added.

“Donald Trump is rigging an election,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33), and claimed Trump’s “Republican henchmen are so scared to face real oversight and accountability, so they are rigging an election.”

“We will meet this moment to stop Republicans,” he said. “In California, we honor and lift up the Voting Rights Act.”

At that moment, it was really evident that California Democrats had fallen down the rabbit hole and were taking tea with Alice in Wonderland.

“This is the front lines of protecting democracy,” Aguilar added.

I learned today that California Democrats are very concerned about “saving Democracy.”

Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) said that he was there today with Democrats “on the line here to fight this fight.” He called Republicans “petulant and entitled,” and added that “California Republicans would drop to their knees to give Trump what he wants.”

A little hyperbole anyone?

Sen. Christopher Cabaldon (D-Yolo) said, “This map reflects the very best interests of the vote of the people.

Assemblyman Issac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) praised the “courageous” Texas Democrats who fled to Illinois to break quorum, rather than have to vote on their redistricting. “ICE loves to follow these little press conferences,” he stated, as if ICE would be waiting outside.

Sen. Monique Limón, (D-Santa Barbara), the next leader of the California Senate, took the higher road: “This is about empowering you – Californians,” she said.

Except, California voters were already empowered in 2008 when the people took the redistricting power away from the politicians by voting for an independent citizens’ commission to draw the electoral districts – every 10 years and only attached to the once-a-decade U.S. Census. That is what California’s redistricting law says.

Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), and a former elections official, said Democrats are “building the most transparent process in the country.”

Yet, California already had the “Gold Standard” redistricting process, Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) told the Globe after the press conference. “It’s the national model for other states,” Strickland said. “It keeps cities and counties together. The new maps split counties sixteen times, and cities more.”

Pellerin said “Donald Trump lit this fire by pressuring Texas to redistricting.” Pellerin is also concerned about saving Democracy: “This is about saving Democracy itself.”

“We are here today because of Donald Trump and Republicans,” said Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside). “Donald Trump is dismantling democracy piece by piece” and called his presidency “authoritarian.”

Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) charged, “the President and his minions are trying to rig the election and beyond.”

You see a theme taking place at this press conference?

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) touted his “most diverse Legislature in the world,” and in the next breath claimed that “Donald Trump has worked to bend our nation away from Democracy.”

Speaker Rivas claimed that food is rotting in our fields because Donald Trump has sent ICE agents after workers. He also claimed that prices are rising on just about everything we buy… because of Donald Trump.

“Texas started the clock,” Rivas said. “We are moving with urgency because democracy is on the line.”

Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire (D) said they are presenting a “united front because our Democracy is on life support.”

He probably should have said the Democrat Party is on life support. But, I digress.

“Trump has to cheat to win,” McGuire said. “Trump and Texas Republicans are responsible for all of this – a fight we cannot run from.”

I stopped counting how many times Democrats used President Trump’s name in vain at around 100.

Not one Democrat or leader offered the truth about how and why Texas is redistricting, or acknowledged that Texas law states that its legislators legally draw the electoral districts, unlike in California.

As the Globe reported:

Gov. Newsom is conflating his desires to win the midterm elections with actual federal law and Texas’ working to bring its districts in line with federal law and court decisions.

Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott added redistricting to the 2025 state agenda, because the U.S. Department of Justice raised legal concerns over the constitutionality of four districts in the state over where district lines were redrawn in 2021 following the heavily manipulated 2020 Census.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton, identifying four Texas congressional districts as “unconstitutional racially based” gerrymanders. These so-called coalition districts (combining minority groups like Blacks and Hispanics) were found not protected under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act based on the 2024 5th Circuit ruling in Petteway v. Galveston County, Hans Von Spakovsky explains.

“When Texas drew its coalition districts in 2021, it impermissibly used race and ethnicity as the predominant factor in drawing the boundary lines. That makes those four districts unconstitutional because they violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, the ‘one person, one vote’ standard—meaning they must be redrawn.”

As Senator Strickland told the Globe after the press conference, Democrats and the governor want to get rid of the few California Republicans in Congress. He stressed that it is illegal for California Legislators to draw these maps – it’s a violation of the Constitution. “People want competitive elections,” Sen. Strickland said. “This would make it so there would be no competitive races in California.”

He predicted that this issue will be non-partisan if it gets to the ballot, and likely will not be passed by the voters.

Politico poll results found that voters want to keep the independent redistricting commission and not allow the California Legislature to redistrict: 62% Gen Z, through 77% of seniors. Also in the poll study: 72% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans and 61% of independents said they want to keep the commission.

Sen. Strickland said Republicans and Democrats will reject Newsom’s gerrymandering because the people don’t want politicians drawing electoral districts.

Notably, Senator Strickland also said that Democrats are selling their gerrymandering as “temporary,” because that’s the only way they can get it passed. Democrats say this when trying to pass tax increases – “it’s only temporary.”

However, as he notes, “the San Francisco Bay Bridge original toll was supposed to be temporary… back in 1936.”

Here is the 3-measure package on Congressional redistricting:

• Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (Rivas, McGuire): allows Californians the ability to adopt a new, temporary Congressional map that neutralizes Trump’s power grab only if Texas, Florida, Indiana, or any other Republican-led state redraw their maps.

• Senate Bill 280 (Cervantes, Pellerin): establishes timelines and procedures to conduct a statewide special election for Proposition 50, and provides the funding for the special election, set to take place on November 4, 2025.

• Assembly Bill 604 (Aguiar-Curry, Gonzalez): establishes the temporary Congressional District Maps that would take effect if other states engage in mid-cycle partisan gerrymanders.

The Globe attended the press conference so you didn’t have to. But, should you like to hear directly from Democrats how they only want to save Democracy, here is the video.