California Democrat and Republican push separate bills targeting gerrymandering

California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla has introduced the Redistricting Reform Act of 2025, a bill that would ban mid-decade redistricting and require every state to establish an independent redistricting commission. The proposal builds on similar legislation from Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of Rocklin, who also opposes congressional map changes outside the once-a-decade Census cycle. The push comes as California voters weigh a November 4 special election on temporarily bypassing its commission to adopt new maps that could gain Democrats five U.S. House seats, countering Texas’ redistricting moves to add Republican seats. With other states also considering new maps, both parties acknowledge gerrymandering’s dangers, though they differ on solutions.