California's proposed redistricting map heads to state legislature for a decision. What does that mean for SoCal?

Gov. Gavin Newsom is fast-tracking a plan that could temporarily upend the way California draws its congressional districts so that more Democrats could be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Newsom has led the effort to put redistricting plans in front of voters.

On Friday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee confirmed it submitted a proposed new congressional map to the California state legislature. 

In a statement, Julie Merz, the committee's executive director, said the submitted map leaves eight of California's congressional districts untouched and, in 20 districts, fewer than 10% of residents would be affected if the changes are approved. California has 52 congressional districts total.

It's an unprecedented move, and if state lawmakers approve it by an Aug. 22 deadline, California voters will see a special election Nov. 4 to decide whether it passes.

California’s plan is part of a larger national fight that began when President Donald Trump put pressure on Texas lawmakers to redraw their districts to boost Republican representation in the 2026 midterm elections.

Most of this battle is between state and national politicians, but ultimately it’s about the power of your vote and who gets to represent you in government. Here’s a full breakdown of what’s going on and what it means for you.

What are the proposed changes?

Here's a look at the map released Friday that was posted on the state Assembly's website. You can also check out CalMatters' look-up tool to see the current congressional districts alongside the newly proposed boundaries. Enter your address for details on where you live.

Why is this happening?

It’s a response to similar efforts that are going on in Texas. In July, Trump began urging Texas lawmakers to redraw their state’s congressional maps to help retain more Republican representatives in Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans have a slim 219-212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives right now, but in midterm elections, the balance of power historically tends to shift to the other party.

Congressional district lines get redrawn once every 10 years — it’s a process called redistricting. Texas, California and other states aren’t supposed to redistrict until after the next Census count in 2030. But under pressure from Trump, Republican lawmakers in Texas produced a draft map to take effect before the 2026 midterms and likely give Republicans an additional five seats in Congress.

Newsom has repeatedly called Trump’s move an attempt to “rig” congressional maps for next year’s elections.

In late July, he threatened to start a redistricting process in California to create more Democratic representation if Texas’ plan went through — effectively to cancel out Texas’ move. Last week, he urged Trump to call off the plan in Texas, but since that hasn’t happened, Newsom moved ahead with California’s redistricting effort.

Back up: Why does redistricting matter?

Redistricting determines who gets to vote to elect your representatives in government.

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Illustration by Alborz Kamalizad / LAist / Photograph by Fabian Centeno / Unsplash

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Redistricting is the process of drawing boundaries on a map that determine who’s included in your political district — those geographic lines determine who gets to vote to elect your representatives in government.

Wherever you live, you are part of several political districts that all have different boundaries: For example, a congressional district, a state Assembly district, a state Senate district, a county board of supervisors district and more. For each of them, you have a representative whose job it is to make sure that the government makes decisions with your community’s concerns in mind.

Each district within a level of government is supposed to be roughly equal in population, but population sizes are always changing. To account for that, most district boundary lines get redrawn every 10 years to reflect population changes recorded in the U.S. Census (that’s one of many reasons the Census is important). This is the redistricting process.

The goal of redistricting is to make sure communities are represented fairly in government.

Your ability to elect a representative that takes your community’s concerns seriously depends on how these district lines are drawn. Think about where you live and what you and your wider community have in common. Perhaps most of you are renters. Maybe you live near a stadium or an airport that affects your day-to-day life. Does your district include many others who share your needs and interests? Or does it make your community a minority group that needs to fight harder to be heard?

Because there are so many different communities and needs to consider, and so much political power at stake, redistricting is a delicate process. How it’s done matters a lot, and that’s at the center of current tensions.

• Good to know: The national fight happening now is only over congressional districts, which determine who represents you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Cities and counties handle their own redistricting processes, but they’re not involved in the current fight — even though there have definitely been local redistricting controversies in the past.

How does redistricting work right now?

When it comes to congressional districts, the rules are up to the states. Each state handles it differently.

In many states, including Texas, elected lawmakers are primarily in charge of redrawing the maps every 10 years.

In cases where elected officials handle redistricting, there are often concerns over gerrymandering, which is when redistricting is intentionally manipulated to give one party or group more representation. Federal laws say that redistricting can’t discriminate against racial groups, but outside of that there’s not much federal regulation against gerrymandering to favor a political party. State laws and state courts decide the boundaries of what’s legal.

In California, elected officials used to be in charge of the process, too, but that changed in 2008 after long-standing concerns over gerrymandering. Voters approved the creation of an independent redistricting commission — ”independent” meaning that average citizens, not elected officials, are primarily in charge of redrawing the maps.

Commission members can’t be connected to an elected office, and the group must be politically balanced between registered Democrats, Republicans and those who aren’t affiliated with either of those parties. This is to ensure that political interests aren’t trying to influence the process for their own gain. (Here’s more about how the selection works.)

What will change with California’s redistricting system?

Nothing yet, but if passed by voters and the state Legislature, the plan would make the new district maps apply for congressional elections next year, outside of the once-a-decade cycle, which would be unprecedented.

Here are some key details about how California’s redistricting proposal would work:

• It would be temporary. California’s independent redistricting commission wouldn’t go away. Instead, there would be a temporary interruption of our usual redistricting process that allows state lawmakers to redraw the maps just this once. Those new district boundaries would be in effect for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 Congressional elections. After the 2030 census, California’s independent commission would take over the process again as scheduled.
• It would only take effect if other states redistrict first. Aside from Texas, states like Florida and Missouri have also been considering mid-cycle redistricting. California’s proposal has “trigger language” specifying that it would only take effect if any other state pushes through its redistricting plans. It’s unclear whether that will happen. Texas Democrats have been pushing back on the Republican redistricting plan by physically leaving the state and preventing a vote from happening, and no one knows yet how the standoff will end.

U.S. Congressional District maps are displayed at a Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting meeting at the Texas State Capitol on August 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas. The redistricting effort in Texas led California Gov. Newsom to announce California's redistricting countermeasure.

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What would the changes mean for me?

If your district is affected under Newsom’s plan, the geographic lines of your Congressional district would change and a different set of voters would elect your U.S. House of Representatives member. That could mean different priorities get represented in Congress after next year’s elections. Your new representative could be more — or less — attuned to what you and your community want from government.

But even if your district boundaries stay the same, this national fight has major implications for everybody. It will affect what party takes control of the House in next year’s elections and how much of Trump’s agenda will make it into law during the second half of his presidency.

What’s the timeline?

A lot needs to move quickly in order for any proposed changes to take effect by the 2026 midterm elections:

• Approval in the California Legislature. The state Assembly and state Senate have until Aug. 22 to approve the plan with a two-thirds majority in each chamber. They return from recess Aug. 18, so they’d have to get it done in just a few days. If approved, the plan moves to voters. 
• A special election. California voters would decide whether to approve the plan in a special election on Nov. 4. 
• Seeing what happens in other states. Even if California voters vote “yes,” the new maps will only apply to next year’s congressional elections if another state approves their own mid-cycle redistricting plan first.  If that happens, California’s new congressional district maps would be in effect for elections in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

In addition to all these steps, California’s proposal could face legal challenges. It would have to remain clear of any litigation that could hold it up in court before next year’s elections.

Is this plan a good idea?

Not surprisingly, opinions are divided.

At the heart of the debate is whether it’s worth it to override California’s hard-won independent redistricting system, even temporarily, in order to wage a larger political battle on the national stage.

What supporters say: Newsom has described the plan as a way to neutralize Trump’s redistricting efforts in Texas. “We’re not going to roll over, and we’re going to fight fire with fire,” he said in a press conference last week.

Democratic members of Congress, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, have backed Newsom’s plan.

Sara Sadhwani, an assistant professor of politics at Pomona College and a Democratic member of California’s independent redistricting commission, supports the effort too.

“These are extraordinary times,” she said in an interview with Politico. “At this moment, I’m not so worried about California’s democracy. We have strong democratic institutions here in the state of California, but I’m also a political scientist, and at the national level, what we’ve seen over the last 10 or even 20 years is a backsliding and a decay of our institutions that should worry all of us.”

What opponents say: All nine members of California’s Republican congressional delegation oppose Newsom’s plan, arguing in a joint statement that it overrides the will of voters who approved the independent redistricting system.

The Republican delegation also criticized the cost of a special election. The Secretary of State’s office estimated it could cost more than $200 million to hold a statewide vote on Nov. 4.

Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, who represents areas along the California-Nevada border, is pushing federal legislation to prohibit mid-decade redistricting nationwide. “A nationwide redistricting war is not what our country needs,” he said in a statement.

What skeptics say: Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for democratic reforms including independent redistricting, initially opposed Newsom’s plan. Executive director Darius Kemp called it a “dangerous move” in a news release, adding: “We can’t afford to put our state’s democracy on the line during a time of national instability.”

However, the group scaled back its opposition this week. In a statement, the group said it would not oppose Newsom’s plan if state lawmakers adhered to certain “fairness criteria.”

How do I weigh in on what happens next?

Your state Assembly member and state senator are in charge of approving or rejecting Newsom’s plan.

You can reach out to their offices directly to share your thoughts. Enter your address here to find out who represents you and how to get in touch with them.

LAist's Mary Plummer contributed to this report.