California Republicans sue over passage of Prop 50

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - One day after California voters approved Proposition 50, redrawing the state's congressional district lines to boost Democratic representation in Washington, state Republicans filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles today challenging the constitutionality of the measure.

Assemblyman David Tangipa, R-Fresno, the California Republican Party, and 18 district voters brought the lawsuit, which asks a judge to block the new district lines at least temporarily so California's original map stays in effect for the 2026 midterm elections.

The suit, which also names California Secretary of State Shirley Weber as a defendant, argues that the new Proposition 50 maps are unconstitutional because they improperly use voters' race as a factor in drawing districts and asks the court to block them from taking effect.   

"Proposition 50 represents a mid-decade redistricting, precisely the kind of legislative interference that the California Constitution was designed to prevent,'' the 26-page complaint contends. "It attempts to substitute a legislative map for the one lawfully adopted by the (state redistricting) commission, without any intervening census or constitutional authorization. It attempts to create a third option way for legislators to interpose themselves on a process in which they otherwise were barred from participating in.''   

The plaintiffs are represented by the Dhillon Law Group, founded by Harmeet Dhillon, who is now the assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.   

"I'm appalled by what has happened -- what the Legislature really pushed through, what the governor has done to violate and break the Constitution,'' Tangipa said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the lawsuit. "And when I said that the fight for California has just begun, I hope everybody knows I meant that."  

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which supporters dubbed "The Election Rigging Response Act.'' As of Wednesday morning's latest vote tally, the measure was leading 63.8%-36.2%, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who conceived of what would become Proposition 50 after Texas adopted a mid decade congressional redistricting plan favorable to Republicans, on Tuesday night called its passage ``not just a victory tonight for the Democratic Party, it was a victory for the United States of America,
for the people of this country and the principles that our Founding Fathers lived and died for.''  

Proposition 50 establishes new congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections that will also be used for the 2028 and 2030 elections. An analysis by the election news website Ballotpedia said it would shift five Republican-held congressional districts toward Democrats.

Democrats hold a 43-9 advantage in the state's House delegation.   

The measure came in response to an effort in Texas for a mid-decade congressional redistricting that analysts said would give Republicans five additional seats. Other Republican-controlled states such as Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska and South Carolina are also considering efforts to approve mid-decade redistricting.   

Backers of Prop 50 said it ``draws fair maps that represent California's diverse communities and ensure our voices aren't silenced by Republican gerrymandering in other states.''

Opponents say Proposition 50 ``creates one of the most extreme partisan gerrymanders in modern American history'' and is a ``threat to democracy and fair elections in California,'' according to the campaign against the measure.

``With the passage of Prop. 50, Californians were sold a bill of goods, allowing Gavin Newsom and his radical allies in Sacramento an unprecedented power grab to redraw the congressional map and silence those who disagree with his extreme policies,'' Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said in a statement. "Gerrymandering districts because you don't like the results of an election is politics at its absolute worst. Governor Newsom pouring millions into this ballot initiative while crime goes unchecked, housing costs skyrocket, and taxes as well as gas prices remain among the highest in the nation shows he's more interested in protecting his party's stranglehold on the state than delivering on the issues families face. ''  

Proposition 50 would increase Democratic registration in the 41st Congressional District Calvert represents by adding Downey, Norwalk, Whittier and Lakewood in Los Angeles County.

Calvert is ``strongly considering'' running in the redrawn 40th Congressional District, where he would face fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim, Blake Jones of Politico reported Monday night, citing information from ``a person close to'' Calvert he did not name.

There was no immediate response to an email sent to Calvert's press contact before the customary start of business hours Wednesday.   

Mike Columbo, a plaintiffs' attorney in the federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, said the proposition will be found unconstitutional, because the Legislature had no legal basis to move forward with a redistricting effort.   

``The record we have establishes that ... before the maps were voted upon and after, analyses were conducted that concluded that there was no voting rights problem in California's prior maps for the Legislature to remedy,'' he said. ``Further, there is no evidence whatsoever that the California Legislature in fact circulated any such analysis to the legislators for them to consider when they cast their votes to launch Proposition 50.''