{"id":2471936,"date":"2025-08-07T12:30:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-aims-to-sidestep-redistricting-board-approved-by-voters\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:32:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:32:09","slug":"newsom-aims-to-sidestep-redistricting-board-approved-by-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-aims-to-sidestep-redistricting-board-approved-by-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsom Aims To Sidestep Redistricting Board Approved By Voters"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnewsom-aims-to-sidestep-redistricting-board-approved-by-voters%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2471936&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses California Governor Gavin Newsom&#8217;s plans to challenge the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-devastating-consequences-of-the-democrat-for-the-people-act\/\" title=\"4 Devastating Consequences Of The Democrat \u2018For The People Act\u2019\">independent redistricting commission<\/a> established by voter initiatives in 2008 and 2010. Amid Republican-led redistricting efforts in states like Texas, Newsom aims to support a scheme to redraw California&#8217;s congressional districts before the 2026 midterms in a way that would benefit Democrats. This move would temporarily bypass the independent commission, which is required to have a balanced partisan makeup, by proposing a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to be voted on by the public. Although California voters have historically rejected attempts to eliminate the commission, newsom&#8217;s plan seeks to present a new, likely gerrymandered map favoring Democrats. The effort comes as Democrats currently hold a supermajority in California&#8217;s legislature and control most of the state&#8217;s congressional seats. Newsom frames this strategy as a necessary response to Republican redistricting efforts in other states.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Newsom_April_2024_(2).jpg\">Bureau of Reclamation\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/07\/californians-voted-to-stop-dems-from-gerrymandering-newsom-is-plotting-to-overrule-them\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Californians%20Voted%20To%20Stop%20Dems%20From%20Gerrymandering.%20Newsom%20Is%20Plotting%20To%20Overrule%20Them&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/07\/californians-voted-to-stop-dems-from-gerrymandering-newsom-is-plotting-to-overrule-them\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Californians%20Voted%20To%20Stop%20Dems%20From%20Gerrymandering.%20Newsom%20Is%20Plotting%20To%20Overrule%20Them&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/07\/californians-voted-to-stop-dems-from-gerrymandering-newsom-is-plotting-to-overrule-them\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/07\/californians-voted-to-stop-dems-from-gerrymandering-newsom-is-plotting-to-overrule-them\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Californians%20Voted%20To%20Stop%20Dems%20From%20Gerrymandering.%20Newsom%20Is%20Plotting%20To%20Overrule%20Them&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/07\/californians-voted-to-stop-dems-from-gerrymandering-newsom-is-plotting-to-overrule-them\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Amid the backdrop of leftists&rsquo; freakout over Republican-led redistricting efforts, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is making plans to usurp a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >citizen-enacted independent redistricting commission<\/a> to further gerrymander the state in Democrats&rsquo; favor.<\/p>\n<p>Seemingly desperate to boost his nationwide profile ahead of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-sends-120-state-law-enforcement-officers-to-oakland-amid-crime-surge\/\" title=\"Newsom dispatches 120 officers to Oakland ...st crime surge\">potential 2028 presidential run<\/a>, the Golden State Democrat telegraphed earlier this week his intent to support a scheme to redraw California&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-democrats-unveil-new-congressional-map-that-is-brutal-for-republicans\/\" title=\"New York ... Unveil New Congressional Map That Is \u2018Brutal\u2019 For Republicans\">congressional districts ahead<\/a> of the 2026 midterms. The prospective move is aimed at helping his party offset any potential GOP gains resulting from Texas and <a href=\"https:\/\/flvoicenews.com\/desantis-considers-new-florida-congressional-map-potential-to-help-republicans-gain-seats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">other<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/red-state-map-battle-heats-up-trump-pushes-texas-plan-reshape-congressional-districts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">red<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stltoday.com\/news\/local\/government-politics\/article_8443009f-d9a2-4ec9-8e9f-811d5174141d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">states<\/a>&lsquo; redistricting efforts. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-466538985\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;[Republicans have] triggered this response. And we&rsquo;re not going to roll over and we&rsquo;re going to fight fire with fire, but we&rsquo;re going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined,&rdquo; Newsom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/news\/politics-government\/capitol-alert\/article311584911.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> during a Monday news conference. &ldquo;But we also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we&rsquo;re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation, whatever they are doing, will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/United_States_congressional_delegations_from_California\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">currently hold<\/a> 43 of the state&rsquo;s congressional seats, while Republicans hold nine. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/04\/texas-dems-whine-about-redistricting-from-illinois-the-most-gerrymandered-state-in-the-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas Dems Whine About Redistricting From Illinois, The Most Gerrymandered State In The Country<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Contrary to the picture he paints, a mid-decade redrawing of California&rsquo;s congressional districts is not as simple as Newsom wants his radical Democrat base to believe. <\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/California_Proposition_11,_Creation_of_the_California_Citizens_Redistricting_Commission_Initiative_(2008)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2008<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lao.ca.gov\/ballot\/2010\/20_11_2010.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2010<\/a>, California voters approved ballot measures that amended the state&rsquo;s founding document by giving redistricting powers to an independent commission, with the latter amendment giving the body control over congressional redistricting. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/California_Citizens_Redistricting_Commission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ballotpedia<\/a>, the commission is required to be comprised of &ldquo;five Republicans, five Democrats, and four unaffiliated with either party.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A competing <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/California_Proposition_27,_Elimination_of_Citizens_Redistricting_Commission_Initiative_(2010)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2010 ballot measure<\/a> that aimed to repeal the 2008 amendment establishing the commission was rejected by voters, with nearly 60 percent voting in opposition.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/politics\/2025\/07\/california-redistricting-november-ballot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CalMatters<\/a>, one of the Newsom-backed proposals being floated is for the Democrat-run legislature to pass a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in a special election this fall. As described by the outlet, &ldquo;Newsom said &hellip; [the] plan that would temporarily set aside California&rsquo;s independent redistricting commission and bring an alternative map&rdquo; &mdash; one more favorable to Democrats &mdash; &ldquo;directly to the public for approval.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The state would then &ldquo;go back in 2030 to original form with our independent redistricting [commission] intact,&rdquo; Newsom claimed. <\/p>\n<p>In other words, the proposed plan would sidestep the independent redistricting commission by presenting voters with what will likely be a heavily gerrymandered map aimed at helping Democrats secure more congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterms. <\/p>\n<p>Should the California Legislature move forward with such a proposal, it would <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/California_Changes_to_Congressional_Redistricting_Amendment_(2025)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">require<\/a> at least two-thirds of state lawmakers in both houses to send the prospective measure to voters for consideration. Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/California_State_Legislature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">currently hold<\/a> supermajorities in both chambers. <\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2026-midterms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2026 midterms<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/california\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Gavin Newsom<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gerrymandering\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">gerrymandering<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/independent-redistricting-commission\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">independent redistricting commission<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">redistricting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/texas-redistricting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Texas redistricting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image Credit Bureau of Reclamation\/Wikimedia Commons\/CC BY-SA 2.0 Share Amid leftist outrage over GOP redistricting, Gov. Newsom plans to override California&#8217;s independent redistricting commission to favor Democrats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2471937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gavin-Newsom.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[37666,3678,32504,16985,58470],"class_list":["post-2471936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california-politics","tag-newsom","tag-political-strategy","tag-redistricting","tag-voter-approved"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gavin-Newsom.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2471936"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2471940,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471936\/revisions\/2471940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2471937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2471936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2471936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2471936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}