By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media 

At the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom and top California Democratic leaders unveiled a plan to authorize a special election for new congressional district maps in response to President Donald Trump’s push for partisan gerrymandering in Texas and other states to benefit House Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.

Newsom, standing with legislative leaders, members of Congress, civil rights advocates and union leaders, said, “Donald Trump, you have poked the bear, and we will punch back.”

The Election Rigging Response Act

Newsom is proposing a constitutional amendment, the Election Rigging Response Act for the Nov. 4 ballot. It would keep California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, declare support for fair, nonpartisan commissions nationwide, and temporarily adopt new congressional districts through 2030 unless other states keep their maps. Voters would decide whether to bypass the commission temporarily and let the Legislature draw maps for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections.

The package includes three bills: one calling for the Nov. 4 special election, another establishing new district maps if triggered, and a third reimbursing counties for election costs.

The maps, drawn by the Legislature’s independent experts, are now publicly available on the Assembly and Senate Elections Committee websites for review.

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Lawmakers have set an expedited schedule for passing the bills: introduce them in both houses when they return from recess on Aug. 18, hear them in each Elections Committees on Aug. 19, move them to Appropriations on Aug. 20, and hold floor votes on Aug. 21, when they must pass with a two-thirds majority in order to go before voters in a special election.

Black Lawmakers Speak Out

Black lawmakers speaking at the press conference linked Trump’s redistricting strategy to broader threats against communities of color.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), said, “This isn’t about redistricting. This is about whether we let an authoritarian in the White House break our democracy,” Bryan said at the museum.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) called Trump “dangerous and authoritarian,” saying he targets Black and Latino communities with “militarized” tactics. She said California is organized and “will not be intimidated,” stressing the fight is about protecting communities of color from systemic assault.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) described the GOP’s mid-decade redraws as “race-based and classist,” designed to silence Black and Latino voices. “Voters, not janky maps, should decide elections,” she said.

CBLC Chair State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) reinforced the caucus’ message in a press release stating: “California will not sit idly by while Republicans attempt to rig the electoral system … California is responding to protect our democracy and preserve the will of the people.”

Republican Pushback

California Republicans blasted the Democrats’ plan, calling it a power grab accusing them of abandoning the voter-approved independent redistricting commission, created to take map-drawing power from legislators. GOP leaders warned the move would erode public trust and predicted voters would reject the measure as partisan politics disguised as reform.  

What Happens Next

If voters approve the measure, the new maps would govern California’s 52 congressional districts starting in 2026. That could offset Texas’s redrawn maps and potentially help Democrats retake control of the U.S. House.

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