THE MONTEREY COUNTY Board of Supervisors has voted in favor of supporting three different federal bills introduced by members of Congress from California that would prevent or inhibit mid-decade redistricting nationwide.
“I think this is critical for the nation,” said board chair Chris Lopez at the supervisors’ Tuesday meeting. “Taking a stand and saying that we support legislation that limits the ability of folks to try to change the landscape and playing field in the middle of the game is really important.”
Lopez brought forth the recommendation for the board to support three federal anti-redistricting bills less than one week after the board took a stance to support California’s Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would allow the temporary redrawing of congressional districts in the state. Prop. 50 will head to voters in a special election on Nov. 4.
Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, was crafted by Gov. Gavin Newsom as a direct response to Texas’ redrawing of congressional districts to favor Republicans. Proponents of Prop. 50 allege that Texas moved to gerrymander because Republicans believe they cannot do well in upcoming congressional midterm elections in 2026, which could return the House majority to Democrats.
“California only took action because of the obvious and most blatant gerrymandering I think we’ve ever witnessed in our nation’s history,” said Supervisor Luis Alejo at Tuesday’s meeting. “It was only because of those actions that California put Proposition 50 on the ballot.”
Three bills target mid-cycle maps
In the last few weeks, one Republican and two Democratic members of Congress introduced bills that would combat mid-decade redistricting.
“These three federal bills would create equity amongst all the states in terms of redistricting, meaning no states, including Texas would be permitted to redistrict before midterms, thus being in line with Prop. 50,” said county legislative program manager Nicole Hollingsworth during a presentation.
U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, who represents parts of Monterey County, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla introduced bicameral legislation aimed at preventing mid-decade gerrymandering across the country.
A bill from Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, would prohibit states from carrying out more than one congressional redistricting during a 10-year census period, effectively nullifying Texas’ new congressional maps and Prop 50. States typically redraw congressional maps every 10 years following the Census.
“When I heard the initial press releases of the other two bills, I laughed. These are not going anywhere. This is not going to do anything.” Supervisor Kate Daniels
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors decided to weigh in on each of the bills, despite having doubts that Padilla’s and Lofgren’s bills would ever be passed due to the current Republican majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
“When I heard the initial press releases of the other two bills, I laughed,” said Supervisor Kate Daniels. “These are not going anywhere. This is not going to do anything.”
Daniels thought that Kiley’s bill would have a chance of getting through because he is Republican. She reiterated the urgency to support any legislation that could halt or limit mid-decade redistricting.
“I think it means putting politics aside and doing what’s right for our democracy,” she said. “If it means supporting a Republican’s bill, then you should support a Republican’s bill, especially if it’s the one that has legs and could get across the finish line.”
Board supports two; weighs third
Other supervisors like Alejo, Wendy Root Askew and Glenn Church were hesitant to support Kiley’s bill, noting the lack of language so far in the bill’s writing.
“We don’t typically put support positions on bills that haven’t been written yet, and so I’m a little hesitant to weigh in at this point,” Church said.
All supervisors ended up voting in favor of signifying support for Lofgren’s and Padilla’s bills. For Kiley’s bill, everyone voted “aye” to support the initial concept of the bill except for Alejo, who decided to abstain.
The board’s Legislative Committee, which is tasked with making recommendations on state and federal legislative initiatives, will continue reviewing Kiley’s bill as it evolves. The board will be able to withdraw support for any of the bills if they change over time and new language is added that conflicts with the board’s values.
