Governor Newsom’s proposal would put new congressional maps before voters in November. The maps are designed to oust at least five of California’s nine Republican members of Congress.
According to several recent CalMatters and other statewide news reports about Newsom’s redistricting plans, the California Legislature, where three-quarters of members are Democrats, has just voted to put Newsom’s new map on the ballot in a statewide special election on Nov. 4.
Because the redistricting would affect many if not most California Congressional district boundaries, seats and candidates, the new congressional lines need to be in place by the end of the year to meet next year’s June election deadlines, so that incumbents and other candidates know which voters they need to reach.
State Appropriations Chair Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, said California taxpayers will get an official cost estimate before the special election. But it’s unclear who will end up footing the bill, since the Legislature has not earmarked funds or identified an official estimated cost. Wicks suggested California counties will have to pay now and get reimbursed later, someday.
“The estimates are about $230 million,” Wicks said. “We will continue to work through those numbers. We’re going to make sure that counties are made whole, that our election officials are made whole as they implement this.”
Wicks and other Democrats are defending the price guesstimate as a worthwhile expenditure for “defending democracy.”
“If we’re talking about the cost of a special election versus the cost of our democracy, or the cost that Californians are already paying to subsidize this corrupt administration, those costs seem well worth paying in this moment,” said Asm. Isaac Bryan, D-Culver City.
State law requires elections officials to mail a ballot to every voter starting 29 days before the redistricting election, and to military and overseas voters 45 days before, which means redistricting ballots must be ready by late September.
The Secretary Of State’s office has said the Legislature must act by this Friday (August 22) to leave enough time for local elections officials to meet those deadlines for a Nov. 4 election. Even then, the next month will be extremely busy for them.
The state has promised to cover the expenses counties incur running this unexpected election, which won’t be cheap.
California leaders will also need to account for the cost of court battles over the state’s redistricting effort assuming it passes. It’s not clear how much additional money that could cost taxpayers.
Mendocino County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Katrina Bartolomie adds:
“It could possibly run over $400k for Mendocino County. All of our costs have gone up.
I actually revised my estimate from $300,000 to $350,000 for the actual election. If the Proposition passes and we have to redistrict it could cost as much as $150,000 in staff and vendor time. [ms note: Apparently it has passed the State Legislature, just today, Thursday, August 21, 2025.]
This is all such a tight turnaround. With the fairly new regulations, we are required to certify the election in 28 days or by December 2, unless we have ALL of our signatures cured (we contact every voter whose signature doesn’t match or no signature at all on the back of the ballot envelope), then we can certify before that date. We have to have our redistricting done before December 19, which is the first date to issue candidate paperwork (Petition in Lieu of Filing Fee) to those voters who wish to file for candidacy.
In SB280 it does say it is the intent of the Legislature to ensure counties have sufficient funding to effectuate the costs for this special election. In the 2021 Newsom Recall the county was paid for our costs of $293,000. With this election, we will report our actual costs to the Secretary of State. Any overage (from estimate to actual costs) will be used to offset state costs for the next statewide election conducted by the county.
Mendocino County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Katrina Bartolomie Does a fantastic job under very stressful conditions. Thank you Katrina.
Bend over Mendo here comes Gavin Again!!! so sad and he wants to be POTUS that is funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What some have learned in Washington, DC, is that Trump’s efforts to obtain a larger Republican majority in the House of Representatives is part of a multi-prong effort to secure another (a third) term as President. It is based on the results of the next General Election, where Vance would stand as the presidential candidate with Trump as his vice-president on the ticket. Such that if Vance does not receive sufficient votes to win the electoral college Republican operatives would challenge sufficient certified election results to make the college unable to successfully elect the President. This would turn the entire election over to the House of Representatives which would then elect Vance irrespective of how their respective districts voted. Then, almost immediately after being sworn in as President, Vance would resign — permitting Trump to ascend again to the presidency for another four years. With this succession spelled out in the Constitution and the subsequent term-limiting amendment now internally in conflict, a court challenge is almost assured. With the Supreme Court dominated by constructionists in its interpretation, the amendment would likely be ruled unconstitutional and a die cast for a practice through which any candidate who once they reach the presidency to continue to hold the office election after election through such political gruella war. While this outcome would be contrary to the intent by the founders of our republic, it is achievable if a political party is willing to do whatever it takes to obtain and hold onto the presidency.
This is nothing more than weaponizing the long-standing — and highly questionable — practice in many states of Gerrymandering the boundaries of Congressional districts based on politics rather than the interests of the citizens the members of Congress are supposed to represent
“…no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States” — 12th Amendment
Not that anyone cares about the Constitution … Isn’t it curious that those who swear an oath to it are under non obligation to actualy read it or take a test to prove they understand its provisions?
If they want to do Constitutional shenanigans, they can elect Mango Mussolini to be Speaker of the House (who does not have to be a member of Congress), and then have the president and vice president resign.
And just to be the voice of realistic cynicism here… what difference would it make if a Democrat took the office in January 2029? They would still be a genocidal monstrosity and would go on exterminating entire peoples and waging wars of aggression. If you’re young enough, get out of this country ASAP.
“Defending our democracy” has been tortured into a cynical meaninglessness.