The Santa Clarita Valley’s state representatives shared their contrasting views Monday on a plan spearheaded by Gov. Gavin Newsom designed to make the overwhelmingly blue California even more so, impacting five congressional districts, including the 27th, which covers nearly all of the SCV.
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, called Newsom’s plan a “voter betrayal” of a fair and transparent process, and Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, said it was returning power to the voters in response to a similar effort in Texas.
The moves in the nation’s two most-populous states could have an impact of up to 10 seats either way for the midterm elections in 2026, according to national reports. Other states have made similar overtures in response.
A PBS report late Monday morning noted that Texas Democrats cited California Democrats’ attempts to add five seats as why they were ending their “walkout,” which was an attempt to stall an effort by Texas Republicans to add five congressional seats that would be favorable for GOP candidates.
In 2010, California voters gave the power to redraw districts to a bipartisan citizen commission — unlike Texas, where the Legislature determines congressional lines, according to a recent CalMatters article.
The commission redraws the map every 10 years after the U.S. Census, to ensure each congressional district has roughly an equal number of people, with the last time being 2021.
Newsom’s plan would temporarily override this commission and create districts more favorable to Democrats until after the 2030 Census, according to a recent CalMatters piece. Newsom’s plan requires voter approval.
By Monday morning, a Legislature with a three-quarters Democratic Party majority was expected to approve the plan in a series of votes.
CalMatters notes Democratic officials already drew a new map in secret, which they shared publicly for the first time Friday. The proposal shifts rural pockets of the northwest and southeast portions of the 27th Congressional District into the 26th and 30th districts, respectively, leaving the typically “toss-up”-rated district a bit more solidly blue. The redistricting would not impact any state-level elections.
Rep. George Whitesides, D-Acton, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
Martinez Valladares made it clear she would not be supporting Newsom’s plan in her statement sent Monday via email through her spokeswoman Ashley Giovannettone. In her statement as co-chair of the California Hispanic Legislative Caucus, she said the move was an attack by the governor on protections “enshrined in the California Constitution” to protect the will of the voters.
“What Gov. Newsom is doing isn’t just politics — it’s a direct attack on millions of Californians’ right to fair representation,” she said. “These new maps and proposed process were drawn behind closed doors with no public input, designed to protect power, not the people. That is gerrymandering at its worst, and it undermines the very foundation of our democracy.”
In an email Schiavo sent out Monday, she said she planned to support the votes to put the changes on the ballot to voters.
“In response to this power grab, our Legislature is considering taking action that cancels out theirs, while still giving voters the final say, and only if other states actually redraw their lines. This is not about partisanship — it’s about fairness. It’s about making sure Californians aren’t left without a voice if other states choose politics over people.”
She said the Trump Administration has been targeting California by “taking $80 billion in our tax dollars while making life less affordable, health care more difficult to access, and even withholding funds to help Los Angeles recover.”
Martinez Valladares encouraged voters to contact the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee.
A representative for Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, who represents some eastern parts of the SCV, was working on a response as of this story’s publication.
The results of the Legislature’s votes have not yet been posted.
