SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Less than 24 hours after California voters approved Proposition 50, efforts to block the state’s new congressional maps are already underway.
A group of state Republicans filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Wednesday, arguing that the maps are unconstitutional. Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, called the redistricting process “a sham.”
Attorneys for the plaintiffs allege that the district lines were drawn to favor Latino voters, citing statements from a consultant involved in the process.
“We have statements from their chief consultant saying the first thing I did was to increase Latino voting power,” said Mike Columbo, a partner at Dhillon Law Group. “The map is designed to favor one race of California voters over others.”
Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Governor Newsom, said the governor’s office has not yet reviewed the lawsuit but was quick to criticize the effort.
“If it’s from the California Republican Party and Harmeet Dhillon’s law firm, it’s going to fail. Good luck, losers,” Richards said in a statement to ABC News.
Paul Mitchell, whose firm Redistricting Partners was hired to draw the maps, defended the new lines during a Wednesday interview with ABC7 News.
“Most voters in California, 80 percent, will wake up this morning and be in the same district,” Mitchell explained. He argued that the Republicans’ frustration stems from campaign missteps, not the maps themselves.
“They went dark the last 10 days but then had all this energy in the end to come out with a lawsuit,” Mitchell added.
Legal experts say the challenge faces steep odds.
“It’s a high burden to meet to show that race was the predominant factor in drawing district lines,” said Rick Hansen, a UCLA law and political science professor. He also noted that timing is a significant hurdle.
“The Supreme Court has said repeatedly that federal courts should not change election rules in the period close to the election,” Hansen explained.
Meanwhile, some Republican incumbents are weighing their options under the new map. U.S. Representative Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, whose district would be split six ways, told reporters he is unsure where he will run next.
“I don’t know where I’m running, I don’t know where other people are running,” Kiley said.
For months, Kiley has pushed a bill to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide, which would nullify all maps adopted this year.
“It wouldn’t be justified even if you could achieve a partisan advantage,” he said.
So far, GOP leaders have not publicly backed the measure.
https://abc7news.com/post/california-proposition-50-republicans-file-lawsuit-states-new-congressional-map/18118480/
