California Senate approves mid‑decade redistricting package; measure to go to voters in November

The California State Senate on Thursday approved a package of measures to place temporary congressional maps before voters and to fund a special election on Nov. 4, setting up a statewide decision about mid‑decade redistricting.

Senator María González, the sponsor who presented one of the measures, framed the package as a defensive response to actions by Texas lawmakers and the federal administration. "This bill gives voters a choice, a choice to keep the current districts or adopt maps to counter the actions of MAGA extremists in Texas," Senator González said on the floor.

The package includes three principal items considered by the Senate as a coordinated response: Assembly Bill 604 (the proposed temporary maps), Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA 8), and Senate Bill 280 (SB 280), which appropriates funds and makes statutory changes to allow a special election concurrent with the Nov. 4 statewide ballot. The Senate voted to adopt the temporary maps and to send ACA 8 and SB 280 forward; all three measures received sufficient votes in the chamber.

Why it matters: supporters said the measures are intended to preserve California’s influence in Congress and to give voters a direct say before mid‑decade map changes in other states alter the national balance. Opponents said the measures…