As Newsom Pushes Redistricting Countermeasure, Christy Smith Lends Support While Suzette Valladares Alleges "Voter Betrayal"​​​​​​​
 

By Santa Clarita Star Staff

08/18/2025 at 7:00 AM

 

Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing a plan to redraw California's congressional maps as a direct countermeasure to Republican redistricting in Texas, a move that could cut the state's GOP seats in half. This has sparked a major political fight, with former Democratic Assemblymember Christy Smith defending it as a necessary response while Republican State Senator Suzette Valladares denounces it as a "voter betrayal."

 

 

SANTA CLARITA — An unprecedented interstate battle over redistricting is intensifying as California Governor Gavin Newsom champions a measure to counter what he terms a Republican “power grab” in Texas. The conflict has taken a new turn with the release of proposed state congressional maps that could slash the number of California’s Republican-held seats from nine to just four.

 

The governor’s controversial Election Rigging Response Act, a proposed constitutional amendment, would empower the legislature to redraw congressional districts if another state is found to be manipulating district lines for partisan gain. This move is a direct response to Texas Republicans advancing mid-decade redistricting plans aimed at strengthening their party's control of the U.S. House.

 

“California will not sit idle as Trump and his Republican lapdogs shred our country’s democracy before our very eyes,” Newsom declared. “This moment calls for urgency and action – that is what we are putting before voters this November, a chance to fight back against his anti-American ways.”

The situation escalated when federal Homeland Security agents appeared at a press conference where Newsom was announcing his plan. In response, the governor’s office filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to investigate the administration's "use of federal law enforcement to try to intimidate his political opponents," calling it a "dangerous step towards authoritarianism."

 

Valladares Denounces "Voter Betrayal"

Republicans have condemned the proposal as a politically motivated assault on California’s voter-approved, nonpartisan redistricting commission, established in 2010 to prevent gerrymandering.

 

“California has a voter-mandated, non-partisan redistricting method that is intended to ensure a fair and transparent process and is enshrined in the California Constitution,” State Senator Suzette Valladares wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Not a concern for Governor Newsom! He is moving full speed with his politically motivated plan to upend that process with biased lines drawn behind closed doors by politicians and political consultants. That’s not leadership, that’s voter betrayal.”

Smith Defends Newsom's Redistricting Push

Democrats have lined up behind Newsom, framing his strategy as a necessary defense of democratic principles against Republican overreach in other states.

 

Former Assemblymember Christy Smith, who currently leads Emerge California, wrote on Facebook that California should not “take a back row seat while politicians upend everything that is great about our democracy.”

 

She accused Valladares and other Republicans of misinforming voters about the proposal. “Unless rational Republicans stand up to Trump and stand against attempts to unfairly consolidate power and disenfranchise voters, you will all go down in history as willing accomplices to the biggest most destructive con job in our nation’s history,” Smith wrote.

 

High-Stakes National Battle

The measure requires a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to qualify for the November ballot. If approved by voters, California’s plan could shift several congressional seats away from Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms, raising the stakes in what is becoming a national battle over the redistricting process. Despite criticism from reform advocates, Newsom insists California must act to counter efforts in Texas.

The proposed maps can be viewed at the following link: https://aelc.assembly.ca.gov/proposed-congressional-map