More focused on boosting his national profile than governing the state, Governor Newsom is plowing ahead with his gerrymandering scheme to steal redistricting power away from the people and hand it back to politicians, doing exactly what he claims to oppose.
The people aren’t buying it. A new POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey shows 64% of Californians want to keep the independent redistricting commission they approved with Prop 11 in 2008.
Democratic legislators have also been crystal clear about their support for independent redistricting as recently as July. But in just a few weeks, a mysterious case of collective (and selective) amnesia seems to have set in. Let’s rewind the tape and hear them in their own words:
Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica)
“We don’t want politicians drawing their own lines.” – July 1, 2025
“You know, ultimately, this is about meeting the goals of the Independent Redistricting Commission, which is to prevent elected officials from gerrymandering districts to the detriment of their communities.” – September 12, 2023
“Politicians shouldn't be drawing their own lines” – July 5, 2023
“I think there's, my sense there's total agreement about the need for independent redistricting commissions.” – April 18, 2023
Sen. Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley)
“I personally think that allowing for independent redistricting commissions, taken out of the hands of an elected body … empowers residents to help draw lines and makes the process more impartial. The reason we created our redistricting commission is because there were … explicit political decisions involved in drawing boundaries. Elected officials inherently have an interest in … drawing boundaries to effectuate their interests, whether intentional or not. Giving that to citizens … who reflect the diversity of our communities will ensure more impartial maps that better reflect the geography and diversity of the communities we represent.” – July 16, 2025
Sen. Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento)
“What I will tell you and what I have lived through and can guarantee to you is that independent redistricting commissions are far superior to elected representatives drawing their own lines where they represent and where they'll spend the next four years making the decisions and running for office over and over without having to really hear the input of the community.” – June 21, 2023
“Studies of this past cycle of redistricting showed that independent redistricting commissions are more transparent, promote more public participation, and draw maps that are more reflective of the community.” – May 22, 2023, April 12, 2023
“I lived through two redistricting processes with the City of Sacramento, one with an independent redistricting Commission and one without. And so I think that I can tell you safely that the one that was in the hands of independent folks felt a lot more transparent and provided a lot more inclusivity to the citizens that we all represent.” – March 21, 2023
Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside)
“I was actually one of those members who also proposed a Citizens Redistricting Committee Commission through AB 1307 for Riverside County. And the counties will always be in opposition. We know that. They do not want us to take away their power, but we do believe we need to put it back into the hands, put it into the hands of citizens.” – July 1, 2025
Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles)
“Events in October of 2022 depicted how there is a significant potential for biased and self-interested motivations to negatively impact the redistricting process for local entities that have not adopted an independent redistricting policy… Los Angeles was the most glaring example where members of the council depicted an existing redistricting process that does not prioritize the residents' well-being, eroding public confidence in the redistricting process, and further jeopardizing the fair distribution of vital public resources.” – April 18, 2023
“The bias with regards to incumbent elected officials, that they don't use that power to then come up with boundaries that are going to benefit them and give them an advantage over to be able to win a reelection or two. So that's a big piece of, I think, what independent means, is keeping your bias out of the equation when the lines are drawn so that you're not given an advantage in that seat.” – April 12, 2023
Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz)
“As you know, in 2008, the voters established independent redistricting for the state Legislature and a few other state offices. Since then, seven counties have had bills that have established independent commissions to redistrict for their boards of supervisors. In the last redistricting in San Luis Obispo County, there was a particularly egregious gerrymander…” – April 17, 2024
Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)
“I agree that everyone should have to have an independent redistricting commission. I agree that the commissioners should not be appointed by elected officials, which affects my city. And I think that's a good change.” – July 12, 2023
Asm. Issac Bryan (D-Culver City)
“In my home City of Los Angeles and in many jurisdictions across the state, we saw what happens when local elected officials and powerful stakeholders decide to conspire to gerrymander behind closed doors and have the power to execute on those desires, breaking up communities and protecting their personal political interests ahead of those of the communities they represent.” – September 13, 2023
"Everywhere that has an independent process, has a more representative, people-driven, community participatory redrawing process. It's fairer. It keeps communities’ interests together in a way that allows for the public to truly buy in. We shouldn't be drawing our own political boundaries. That's why we don't do it at the state level. We shouldn't be doing it across the state.” – July 12, 2023
“Having elected officials gerrymander or have the potential to gerrymander to protect incumbency and other things above the interest of keeping communities whole and preserving communities’ interests is something we should seek to change at a statewide level.” – April 19, 2023
Asm. Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz)
“There are eight counties that have independent redistricting commissions. They've worked extremely well. And I support efforts to expand the use of citizens redistricting commissions.” – April 9, 2025
“I strongly support the expanded use of independent redistricting commissions to protect against the inherent conflict of interest that does occur when elected officials draw their own district lines.” – July 5, 2023
Asm. Esmerelda Soria (D-Merced)
“Since the establishment of California Statewide Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2008 by Proposition 11, California has taken numerous steps to put the responsibility for drawing California's electoral districts in the hands of its citizens at every level of government. What has previously been a closed-door process in many parts of the state has been opened up to interested citizens who want to see the unique composition of their communities reflected in the districts used in their elections. Over the last two decades, many have followed to follow the lead set by Prop 11 and sought the establishment of Citizens Redistricting Commissions for their cities and counties.” – July 16, 2025
Asm. Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim)
“Independent Citizens Redistricting Commissions maintain impartiality in the redistricting process. They directly increase transparency and accountability by prioritizing local public input and ensure that the process is conducted in an open and transparent manner.” – June 20, 2023
“Independent citizen redistricting commissions help with fairness in the redistricting process and prevent the manipulation of district boundaries for political gain by elected officials. It directly increases transparency and accountability in the redistricting process by prioritizing local public input and ensuring that the process is conducted in an open and transparent manner.” – April 19, 2023