July 27, 2025
To the Editor:
Governor Newsom has proposed mid-decade redistricting to redraw California’s congressional lines - not to serve the people, but to play political revenge games with Texas. This is gerrymandering, plain and simple. And a dangerous step backward.
Californians fought hard to end the days of shady, backroom map deals. In 2008, we passed Proposition 11 to create the Citizens Redistricting Commission, an independent body that puts people over politics when drawing district lines. That system works. It’s considered the national gold standard. Redistricting belongs to the voters - not to the Governor or any political party.
Now, all that progress is under threat. Mid-decade redistricting will destabilize elections, confuse voters, and undermine public trust in democracy.
The League of Women Voters was a proponent of Prop 11 and continues to advocate for fair redistricting throughout California. San Luis Obispo County fought its own hard won battle and established an independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw county electoral maps in 2024.
Tell the Governor California is not Texas. We cannot go backward. Tell him to abandon this short-sighted, undemocratic effort. Send him a message
here or call (916) 445-2841.
Janice Langley
Joanne Schultz
Wendy Brown
Jacquie Canfield
Leadership Team
League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County
info@lwvslo.org
www.lwvslo.org