Redistricting Battle Heats Up as California Republicans Mount Opposition

Dozens of residents from up and down the state, leaders of local Republican groups and the conservative California Family Council showed up to a hearing Tuesday to voice opposition to Democrats’ plan.

Some said the process has been shrouded in secrecy because the map was drawn without meaningful public input. Others said they would rather focus on addressing issues instead of trying to bypass a bipartisan redistricting process.

“There’s different needs and different requirements for everybody,” Jim Shoemaker, a Republican running for Congress in a district south of Sacramento, said in an interview. “But if you have someone that just has a little portion of an area, they’re not going to represent the people the way they should because they’re looking at the wrong thing.”

Labor union members and several key Democratic political allies said the partisan plan is needed to protect democracy and to fight back the president’s aggressive agenda.
Public remarks may have little sway, though, as Democratic leaders are determined to rapidly advance the proposal.

Some Republican lawmakers filed an emergency petition with the state Supreme Court arguing Democrats are violating the state constitution. They assert that legislators can’t vote this week because the constitution requires new legislation to have a 30-day wait for public review.

Democrats hold 43 out of California’s 52 U.S. House seats and want to win five more. The proposal would try to expand that advantage by targeting battleground districts in Northern California, San Diego and Orange counties, and the Central Valley. Some Democratic incumbents also get more left-leaning voters in their districts.