California’s Mid Decade Redistricting Plan: What It Is, Why It Is Happening, And What It Will Cost

By David Cunningham

California is preparing to vote on an unusual change to its United States House district lines in the middle of the decade. Governor Gavin Newsom has called a statewide election for November 4, 2025, asking voters to approve a temporary congressional map that would take effect only if Texas or another state adopts a mid-cycle partisan redraw before 2030. He framed the move as a response to national politics rather than a permanent change to California’s process, saying, “California will not sit idle.”

At a launch event in Los Angeles, Newsom described the proposal as the Election Rigging Response Act. He told supporters, “Today is liberation day in the state of California,” and said the state would not “unilaterally disarm.” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas added, “We ar