Gavin Newsom unveils a rare mid-decade redistricting plan for California

Democratic lawmakers in Texas on Monday left the state to deprive Republicans of the quorum needed to pass the new maps. Republican lawmakers voted 85 to 6 to send state troopers to arrest them and bring them back to the Capitol, a move that is largely symbolic, since the lawmakers won't face criminal or civil charges.

The outcome of the dueling efforts between Texas and California could determine which party controls the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections, which Democrats see as the last bulwark to President Trump's actions in his second term. Trump has pushed Republicans to add more GOP seats in Texas, hoping to stave off a midterm defeat.

Democrats hold 43 of California's 52 congressional seats. Early discussions among California politicians and strategists suggest that redrawn lines could shore up some vulnerable incumbent Democrats by making their purple districts more blue, while forcing five or six of the state's nine Republican members into tougher reelection fights.

But nothing official can be done until state lawmakers return from recess to Sacramento on Aug. 18.

Democrats, who hold a supermajority in the Legislature, would have less than a month to draw a new map, hold hearings and negotiate the language of a bill calling for the special November election, leaving just enough time for voter guides to be mailed and ballots to be printed.

Democratic lawmakers and operatives said Monday that the timeline is doable, but they would have to act quickly.

California’s Democratic congressional delegation expressed consensus during a video meeting Monday with moving forward with a ballot measure that would allow mid-decade redistricting only if another state moves forward with it, according to a person familiar with the virtual meeting, and that the change would be temporary. They expressed their support for the independent commission.

California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said the Democratic caucus met Sunday night "to discuss the urgent threat of a continued, blatant Trumpian power grab — a coordinated effort to undermine our democracy and silence Californians."

Democrats in the California Senate and Assembly held separate meetings to discuss redistricting. David Binder, a pollster who works with Newsom, presented internal polling that showed tepid early support among voters for temporarily changing state laws to allow the Legislature to draw new maps for elections in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

"Our voters must be empowered to push back," Rivas said. "California has never backed down — and we won’t start now."

Democratic lawmakers' exodus from Austin on Monday denied Republicans the quorum necessary to proceed with a vote on a redrawn state map that could net Republicans five congressional seats.

Good for Gavin. Slight atonement for being a douchebag on Joe Rogan's right-wing podcast.

This whole thing is getting nuts.

This is the kind of fucking chaos that Trump creates.

Gavin shouldn't have to do this. But Republicans always fucking play dirty.

So he has no choice.

I'm getting so tired of our country's politics.

Good. Dems need to start using repugs petty tactics if we're gonna get back in the game.

Do it!! No time to waste!

[quote] state lawmakers will craft a "trigger," he said, meaning California voters would only vote on the measure if Texas moved forward with its own plans to redraw Congressional boundaries to add five more Republican seats.

[quote] "It's cause and effect, triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn't occur in Texas," Newsom said.

Smart movie.

I'm glad to see that California has sensible and SANE lawmakers, as opposed to that shithole Texas.

The outcome of this will be a GOP congress forced to pass a law against gerrymandering

I'm not sure this will work. Once you get off the coast, much of the Central Valley and Sierra region are right-wing.