After successfully stalling Senate Democrats’ attempt to ram through legislation that would dismantle California’s independent redistricting process yesterday, today Senate Republicans released analyses of the three bills in Governor Newsom’s “Election Rigging” package for the public to see.
“The majority party drafted new congressional districts behind closed doors with D.C.-based political operatives to undermine the work of California’s citizen-led commission in charge of redistricting,” said Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks). “I sent a letter to the Senate Desk to limit procedural maneuvering by the majority party and their effort to reduce the time these bills are available for public scrutiny. Politicians shouldn’t choose their voters."
Sen. Niello’s action created more time for transparency, and gave the public a clearer view of the power grab unfolding at the Capitol.
The governor’s 'Election Rigging' package consists of:
ACA 8 – Asks voters to approve the governor’s plan to set aside the existing congressional map established in 2021 by the nonpartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) in favor of a highly partisan gerrymandered congressional district map drawn to eliminate five Republican congressional seats while making numerous other Democrat seats far less competitive.
SB 280 – Calls a special statewide election for November 4, 2025, to submit ACA 8 to voters as Proposition 50.
AB 604 – Replaces for the next three elections cycles (2026, 2028, 2030), as long as the voters approve ACA 8, the existing congressional district maps established in 2021 by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) with the politician-drawn gerrymandered maps.
“California voters passed the 72-hour rule to ensure transparency and accountability in the legislative process, yet once again the majority party conveniently ignored the law,” said Sen. Steven Choi (R-Irvine), Vice Chair of the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee. “I found out about a hearing on these bills through social media, even though I’m the Vice Chair of the committee responsible for reviewing them. This isn’t about protecting democracy, it’s a power grab. The people deserve real transparency, and they deserve to see these bills.”
The “Election Rigging” analysis for ACA 8, for SB 280, and for AB 604 can be found at their respective links.
Senate Republicans will be available for comment today following the Senate Elections Committee and through the remainder of the week.