Sen. Pres Pro Tem Mike McGuire, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, at redistricting press conference 8/18/2025. (Photo: Katy Grimes for California Globe)
California Democrats Introduce Redistricting Legislative Package to ‘Save Democracy’
Every Democrat speaker named and blamed Donald Trump
By Katy Grimes, August 18, 2025 3:57 pm
California’s legislative Democrats held a press conference Monday morning to justify kicking the independent California Redistricting Commission to the curb for the next few elections. They introduced their package of three bills, SB 280, AB 604, and ACA 8, described in detail by California Globe contributor Chris Micheli here.
In an effort to influence the midterm elections, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced their intentions to blow up California’s independent redistricting commission, effectively tampering with the state’s electoral maps mid-decade… because TRUMP.
The state is heavily in debt, wildfires are burning, Pacific Palisades is not getting rebuilt after the devastating January fires, crime is still high, gas prices are high, poverty is the highest in the nation, homeless still live on the streets… In short, California is a hot mess, and the governor is running for President instead.
As Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher (R-Gerber) said on Friday when the newly drawn electoral maps were leaked, “These are rigged maps drawn in secret to give Democrat politicians more power by dismantling the independent commission Californians created to keep them out of map-drawing.”
“These maps shred the fair, transparent process voters demanded. The independent commission spent months gathering public input, holding 196 public meetings, hearing 3,870 verbal comments and collecting 32,410 written submissions before finalizing the current maps. Democrat politicians are throwing that work in the trash for a rigged scheme cooked up behind closed doors.”
Remember Leader Gallagher’s rundown.
Monday, Democrats placed all of the blame on President Donald Trump for the gerrymandering they have done.
“We are here today because Donald Trump and Republicans are trying to rig the next election,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) said. “This is about the people of California,” she added.
“Donald Trump is rigging an election,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33), and claimed Trump’s “Republican henchmen are so scared to face real oversight and accountability, so they are rigging an election.”
“We will meet this moment to stop Republicans,” he said. “In California, we honor and lift up the Voting Rights Act.”
At that moment, it was really evident that California Democrats had fallen down the rabbit hole and were taking tea with Alice in Wonderland.
“This is the front lines of protecting democracy,” Aguilar added.
I learned today that California Democrats are very concerned about “saving Democracy.”
Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) said that he was there today with Democrats “on the line here to fight this fight.” He called Republicans “petulant and entitled,” and added that “California Republicans would drop to their knees to give Trump what he wants.”
A little hyperbole anyone?
Sen. Christopher Cabaldon (D-Yolo) said, “This map reflects the very best interests of the vote of the people.
Assemblyman Issac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) praised the “courageous” Texas Democrats who fled to Illinois to break quorum, rather than have to vote on their redistricting. “ICE loves to follow these little press conferences,” he stated, as if ICE would be waiting outside.
Sen. Monique Limón, (D-Santa Barbara), the next leader of the California Senate, took the higher road: “This is about empowering you – Californians,” she said.
Except, California voters were already empowered in 2008 when the people took the redistricting power away from the politicians by voting for an independent citizens’ commission to draw the electoral districts – every 10 years and only attached to the once-a-decade U.S. Census. That is what California’s redistricting law says.
Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), and a former elections official, said Democrats are “building the most transparent process in the country.”
Yet, California already had the “Gold Standard” redistricting process, Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) told the Globe after the press conference. “It’s the national model for other states,” Strickland said. “It keeps cities and counties together. The new maps split counties sixteen times, and cities more.”
Pellerin said “Donald Trump lit this fire by pressuring Texas to redistricting.” Pellerin is also concerned about saving Democracy: “This is about saving Democracy itself.”
“We are here today because of Donald Trump and Republicans,” said Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside). “Donald Trump is dismantling democracy piece by piece” and called his presidency “authoritarian.”
Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) charged, “the President and his minions are trying to rig the election and beyond.”
You see a theme taking place at this press conference?
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) touted his “most diverse Legislature in the world,” and in the next breath claimed that “Donald Trump has worked to bend our nation away from Democracy.”
Speaker Rivas claimed that food is rotting in our fields because Donald Trump has sent ICE agents after workers. He also claimed that prices are rising on just about everything we buy… because of Donald Trump.
“Texas started the clock,” Rivas said. “We are moving with urgency because democracy is on the line.”
Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire (D) said they are presenting a “united front because our Democracy is on life support.”
He probably should have said the Democrat Party is on life support. But, I digress.
“Trump has to cheat to win,” McGuire said. “Trump and Texas Republicans are responsible for all of this – a fight we cannot run from.”
I stopped counting how many times Democrats used President Trump’s name in vain at around 100.
Not one Democrat or leader offered the truth about how and why Texas is redistricting, or acknowledged that Texas law states that its legislators legally draw the electoral districts, unlike in California.
As the Globe reported:
Gov. Newsom is conflating his desires to win the midterm elections with actual federal law and Texas’ working to bring its districts in line with federal law and court decisions.
Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott added redistricting to the 2025 state agenda, because the U.S. Department of Justice raised legal concerns over the constitutionality of four districts in the state over where district lines were redrawn in 2021 following the heavily manipulated 2020 Census.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton, identifying four Texas congressional districts as “unconstitutional racially based” gerrymanders. These so-called coalition districts (combining minority groups like Blacks and Hispanics) were found not protected under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act based on the 2024 5th Circuit ruling in Petteway v. Galveston County, Hans Von Spakovsky explains.
“When Texas drew its coalition districts in 2021, it impermissibly used race and ethnicity as the predominant factor in drawing the boundary lines. That makes those four districts unconstitutional because they violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, the ‘one person, one vote’ standard—meaning they must be redrawn.”
As Senator Strickland told the Globe after the press conference, Democrats and the governor want to get rid of the few California Republicans in Congress. He stressed that it is illegal for California Legislators to draw these maps – it’s a violation of the Constitution. “People want competitive elections,” Sen. Strickland said. “This would make it so there would be no competitive races in California.”
He predicted that this issue will be non-partisan if it gets to the ballot, and likely will not be passed by the voters.
Politico poll results found that voters want to keep the independent redistricting commission and not allow the California Legislature to redistrict: 62% Gen Z, through 77% of seniors. Also in the poll study: 72% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans and 61% of independents said they want to keep the commission.
After the Democrats’ press conference Monday on their redistricting scheme, San Diego Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio said, “What’s happening in this building is pure corruption. It is illegal, it is unfair. We now have evidence that three sitting legislators have traded their vote for a seat in Congress with this corrupt deal. This is vote rigging happening inside our legislature. It’s absolutely corrupt to the core.”
Sen. Strickland said Republicans and Democrats will reject Newsom’s gerrymandering because the people don’t want politicians drawing electoral districts.
Notably, Senator Strickland also said that Democrats are selling their gerrymandering as “temporary,” because that’s the only way they can get it passed. Democrats say this when trying to pass tax increases – “it’s only temporary.”
However, as he notes, “the San Francisco Bay Bridge original toll was supposed to be temporary… back in 1936.”
Here is the 3-measure package on Congressional redistricting:
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Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (Rivas, McGuire): allows Californians the ability to adopt a new, temporary Congressional map that neutralizes Trump’s power grab only if Texas, Florida, Indiana, or any other Republican-led state redraw their maps.
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Senate Bill 280 (Cervantes, Pellerin): establishes timelines and procedures to conduct a statewide special election for Proposition 50, and provides the funding for the special election, set to take place on November 4, 2025.
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Assembly Bill 604 (Aguiar-Curry, Gonzalez): establishes the temporary Congressional District Maps that would take effect if other states engage in mid-cycle partisan gerrymanders.
The Globe attended the press conference so you didn’t have to. But, should you like to hear directly from Democrats how they only want to save Democracy, here is the video.
A California native and Navy mom, Katy lives in Sacramento, CA.
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Ummmm…anyone wanna tell these dumbass Democrats that the United States is a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT a “democracy” and what they’re trying to save is “OUR Democracy (TM)”, which is Democrat dog-whistle speak for “Democrats win every election and have absolute authority and power over every aspect of your lives”.
Their “temporary” maps are like “Joe Biden”‘s inflation, as stated as “transitory” by Janet (Snowy Owl) Yellen… well, “transitory” is still IN TRANSIT, as EVERYTHING has gone up in price, except my salary….
And Zoe Lofgren looks like the Crypt Keeper, and should have been termed out 20 years ago… period, full stop…
Really, it is UNBELIEVABLE just how totally FULL OF IT these California Dem Usual Suspect politicians are. And they were sure shoveling it today, weren’t they? NO shame. NONE. I guess that’s because these people are all about stealing elections. They’re used to it. Desensitized to the max.
Okay, let’s do this, you clueless circus freaks. You do realize, though, that everyone who is in touch with reality can see right through you and your stupid little games, right?
Great coverage as usual from Katy Grimes.
“It is a classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what they are planning to do themselves.” ~Big Vic~
Also this. It probably shows up in Shakespeare too 🙂
Psychological Projection:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychological-projection-defense-mechanism.html
Thanks.
In addition there was irony in Gnulander’s definition of projection in that she was responding to a question asked by now finally imprisoned U.S. Senator Blob Menendez.
Ha ha – that’s so good.
I used to link to the rather straightforward Wikipedia definition (in spite of W’s bias and flaws) for the “psychological projection” definition because it was so dead-on to explain the Dem-Marxist politicians’ thinking. But this time the definition was changed to include how “positive” and “empathetic” projection can be and all the related articles at the top of the list did that too. A seemingly minor detail that shows the subversive language and redefinition tricks of the Left.
That Democrat coven in the legislature don’t speak for many of us Californians and it’s laughable that they’re trying to blame President Trump for the gerrymandering and rigging elections that they have done for YEARS. The photo of Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren looks like she must of flown into that news conference on her broom? Yikes, what a scary looking witch she is? No doubt they did some spirit cooking after the news conference and maybe feasted on baby parts and guzzled adrenochrome?
Satan is the “father of lies” and Satanists are liars who actively oppose and distort truth to serve their own agenda. This accurately describes California’s legislative Democrats.
I like the photos. Those people are hiding something big time. Group photos don’t get much more shady than that. How come their hands are clenched and red???? Eyes down? That one person may want to not do press conferences!
Where are all of the people of color in these photos?
Democrats define “democracy” as a one party Democrat thugocracy ruled by a heavy hand were no dissent is allowed.
Lofgren has that chlorine patina from drifting with the currents in a state of legislavic seniority, near the drain of an ancient YWCA pool.
What??
Name and blame Trump? This what happens when a supreme leader is compromised; Trump may be a soft target. Newsom committed sedition yet no response by the Trump administration, why? The Republicans are covering up the Epstein disclosures, again, why? Newsom and his cohorts know this; is Putin privy to the same intel? Is Donald Trump a pedophile? Clearly the Epstein docs are not exculpatory thus and therefore the Republicans compromised. Trump must clear himself now or resign!
Meh, completely delusional. If President Trump was involved in any of Epstein’s dirty dealings with underage girls, then Democrats and their RINO cronies would have loudly produced that evidence a long time ago. The Trump administration might be withholding the Epstein client list along with the Diddy client list in order to get corrupt high level Democrats/RINOs along with the rest of the deep state to support the MAGA/MAHA agenda? Hillary Rotten Clinton seems to be terrified and she even said that she would nominate President Trump for a Noble Peace prize if he’s able to broker a peace deal with Russia and Ukraine.
The Justice Department will hand over documents related Jeffrey Epstein to the House Oversight Committee this Friday. “Officials with the Department of Justice have informed us that the Department will begin to provide Epstein-related records to the Oversight Committee this week on Friday. There are many records in DOJ’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted. I appreciate the Trump Administration’s commitment to transparency and efforts to provide the American people with information about this matter,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer announced on Monday.
The Democrats allegedly have a problems too, namely Obama and Clinton.
It’s pedophilia we’re talking about. Anybody in the right mind is going to clear themselves immediately of any association with these charges.
the Democrats will remain mum regarding this subject as the overall matter allegedly includes Obama and Clinton.
Also and widely known, epstein hired away an underage girl from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago: What is Trump doing with underage girls in his employ?
Sadly we’re dealing with a bunch of creeps.
I read things like this about all the kafkaesque gaslighting these communists masquerading as democrats do, babbling nonstop with such conviction about how they have to destroy democracy in order to save democracy, with no other argument than “Trump is literally HITLER!!,” my eyes glaze over – I already know iwhat’s in the journalistic piece before I get several paragraphs in. Those people absolutely have no originality. I don’t understand why anyone takes those unfunny trotskyist clowns seriously.
In a blunt and unapologetic interview with Real America’s Voice, Riverside County Sheriff and gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco unloaded on Governor Gavin Newsom, vowing to expose him as a fraud and stop his ambitions of taking California’s failed model nationwide saying “My message is, Gavin Newsom, I am going to expose you for the complete fraud that you are, the liar that you are, and you will never, ever be the President of this country. You will never do to the rest of the country what you have done to California. California’s problems are completely caused by California government.”
Please go to this Cal. Assembly portal and tell these half baked legislators no to the redistricting scheme!
https://aelc.assembly.ca.gov/redistricting-public-comment
Thank you for bringing this to our attention CaliGirl – posted!
Thanks for the link. Comment submitted a minute ago.
Is there something in the water in California that makes people keep voting for these half-wit, ignorant, left-tard morons over and over? Gavin Newscum is a lying, cheating, crooked, pile of dog schit slimy snake-oil salesman and you can’t believe a word that comes out of that douche bags mouth, yet Californians keep voting for him. and other pathetic left-turds like Karen Bass.
No, there’s a voting platform they named “dominion” for a reason…. and there’s a PDF on the CA Secretary of State’s website that describes all of the security weaknesses contained in the platform, along with explanations away that excuse those security exploits with broad and sweeping platitudes….
They’re not BUGS, they’re FEATURES that Alex Padilla signed off on, and then skated to the D.C. “swamp”….
No, there’s a voting platform they named “dominion” for a reason…. and there’s a PDF on the CA Secretary of State’s website that describes all of the security weaknesses contained in the platform, along with explanations away that excuse those security exploits with broad and sweeping platitudes….
They’re not BUGS, they’re FEATURES that Alex Padilla signed off on, and then skated to the D.C. “swamp”….
“Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (Rivas, McGuire): allows Californians the ability to adopt a new, temporary Congressional map that neutralizes Trump’s power grab only if Texas, Florida, Indiana, or any other Republican-led state redraw their maps.”
How about the nine Democrat states that have zero Republican seats? They don’t have to redraw their maps? Stick it where the sun don’t shine Commies.
To Ca democrats, “saving democracy” means overriding the will of the people (aka direct democracy) from not in but 2 moves to establish an independent committee to set up districts. These people are relentless and shameless in their pursuit of power.