The final districting maps for the remaining elected positions were approved by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission Monday evening, bringing name and boundary changes to the Santa Clarita Valley.
The final map alters both the name and boundaries for the SCV’s congressional representative, Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita. In addition to eliminating the portion of Simi Valley that had been previously included within the jurisdiction, the name of the district changed from the 25th California Congressional District to the 27th.
In a statement distributed Monday evening, Garcia said the commission had not acted independently, and contended they had acted to create safer seats for Democrats, while creating greater hurdles for Republicans.
Ventura County, of which Simi Valley is a part, had majority support for Garcia in his 2020 November election, giving him an ultimate lead of 333 votes, over his Democrat challenger, former Assemblywoman Christy Smith.
For the California State Senate District, Monday’s final map puts the SCV in the 23rd District rather than the 21st, though the boundaries remain similar. The map would add Stevenson Ranch and certain mountainous areas to the boundaries, encompassing the entire SCV in what is currently the 21st District represented by Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita.
Sen. Henry Stern, who represents the current 27th District, announced last week that he would be running for L.A. County supervisor and would not make seek to retain his seat. The 21st District will also be renamed to the 23rd District.
The California State Assembly final map would put the SCV in the 40th District rather than the 38th, currently represented by Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, expanding to the south to encompass a majority of the SCV, while shifting Agua Dulce to the 34th District, which was previously known as the 36th District, currently represented by Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Antelope Valley.
“Assemblyman Lackey will run for re-election in the newly renumbered 34th Assembly District,” said George Andrews, a spokesman for Lackey.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to represent the families and people of California in the state Assembly in 2022 and beyond,” said Valladares in a statement sent to The Signal.