California Republicans are launching a forceful campaign against a new Democratic initiative to overhaul the state’s redistricting process, accusing Governor Gavin Newsom and his party of hypocrisy.
The criticism intensified on Tuesday as the GOP highlighted past statements from prominent Democrats who had previously praised the very independent commission the new plan seeks to bypass.
At the center of the dispute is a proposal, championed by Governor Newsom, which would place a mid-census redistricting measure on the November ballot for voter approval.
Republicans argue this is a partisan effort designed to secure more congressional seats for Democrats by undermining the state’s citizen-led system.
Democrats’ Past Praise for Independent Commission
In their pushback, California Republicans are circulating previous remarks from Democratic legislators who lauded the independent redistricting model.
These include comments from State Senator Benjamin Allen of Santa Monica and Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria of Merced, who both voiced strong support for the California Statewide Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2023.
Statements from San Francisco’s Senator Scott Wiener and Berkeley’s Senator Jesse Arreguin are also being used to illustrate what the GOP calls a stark reversal of principle.
Assemblymember Avelino Valencia of Culver City, who had also previously endorsed the independent commission, is another legislator whose past support is being contrasted with the current Democratic effort.
The citizen-led commission was established in 2008 by Proposition 11 to ensure fair and non-partisan drawing of electoral maps.
GOP Mounts Legislative and Legal Opposition
The proposed ballot measure would alter California’s electoral maps before the 2030 census, a move Republicans denounce as a political power grab.
In response, State Senator Roger Niello attempted to delay the proposal’s progress through the legislative process during a Senate Elections Committee hearing.
Furthermore, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has announced his intention to initiate a legal challenge against the measure.
The conflict pits the Democratic majority’s current political objectives against their previously stated commitment to a redistricting process free from partisan influence.
