Newsom says California considering midterm redistricting path; pledges transparency

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that California is analyzing whether to pursue a midterm redistricting process and related special election as a response to what he described as attempts by federal actors to influence U.S. House outcomes. At the Aviation Management Unit in Sacramento, Newsom said the state is studying a pathway that could include a special election in November, transparent map‑making and involvement of the legislature and congressional representatives. “The process though looks a little bit like this. A special election would be called. It's likely to be, the November,” Newsom said. He added that maps would be made available in a transparent way and emphasized that the state was not seeking to eliminate the independent redistricting commission. Newsom framed the discussion as a response to what he called attempts to “rig the game” in other states and said the state would not adopt closed, backroom processes: “This is not gonna be done in a backroom. This is not gonna be done by members, of some private group or bodies. It's gonna be given to the voters for their consideration in a very transparent way,” he said. Newsom said his office and legislative leaders would have more details within a week or two and asked reporters not to publish maps he said he had not seen. The remarks described an ongoing analysis and policy discussion; no formal maps, legislation or election orders were announced at the event.