Fight over California redistricting enters new phase
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The former California governor says Trump's plan to rig Texas redistricting maps for Republicans doesn't justify his Democratic successor Gavin Newsom gerrymandering blue seats in retaliation.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pumping up for a new fight. The longtime Hollywood action star, the last Republican governor in Democrat-dominated California, says he’s mobilizing to oppose the push by current Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily scrap the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission.
Braun—who Trump relegated to the kids’ table during his star-studded inauguration—has yet to make a decision on the matter, but his counterpart in Texas, Greg Abbott, is all in on the plan, with a special redistricting session planned for this week that could net the GOP five more House seats.
In a recent appearance on comedian Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, Schwarzenegger recalled that when he first arrived in California, the state’s population was around 20 million. Since then, it has roughly doubled — a surge that, he argued, demanded a proportional increase in housing.
Schwarzenegger wrote that he was “getting ready for the gerrymandering battle” while hitting the chest press machine in a shirt that read, “F*** THE POLITICIANS TERMINATE GERRYMANDERING.” The post comes as the state awaits a formal proposal for newly drawn congressional maps to create more Democratic districts.
The actor-turned-governor helped overhaul how California draws political maps. In an interview with The New York Times, he said he would fight to preserve that legacy.
California lawmakers approved a redrawn congressional map. This aims to boost Democrats in the next elections. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bills and called a special election for November 4. The plan seeks to add five House seats for Democrats.
California’s high-speed rail may begin Merced-Bakersfield service by 2030, with connections to Gilroy, San Francisco and Brightline West to Las Vegas.
Schwarzenegger opposes Newsom's plan to eliminate California's independent redistricting commission amid a national battle over congressional district maps.