Taken apart at a political chop shop: Proposed map would split Lodi into three Congressional districts

Yahoo

2 days ago

Aug. 19—California voters will be going to the polls in November to approve new Congressional districts that favor Democrats, and maps released Friday reveal that Lodi could be split into three districts.
Currently, the entirety of Lodi is part of the 9th Congressional District held by Tracy-based Democrat Josh Harder.
If voters approve new district boundaries this fall, Harder's district would include the southeastern portion of the city west of Hutchins Street, south of Kettleman Lane and east of Cherokee Lane, with a chunk east of Stockton Street and south of Mission Street.
The new 9th District would include the cities of Manteca, Tracy, Pittsburg, Antioch and Oakley, and a portion of north Stockton north of Mormon Slough and west of Wilson Way.
A chunk of north and central Lodi bordered by Kettleman Lane in the south, Cherokee Lane in the east and Lower Sacramento Road in the west would be in a new 7th District, along with Galt, Elk Grove, Wilton, Sloughouse, Clements, Linden, Farmington and West Sacramento.
The remainder of Lodi would be in a new District 8 with Isleton, Rio Vista, Dixon, Vacaville, Fairfeild, Vallejo, Richmond and Hercules.
"Slicing up our city for political ends benefits none of our residents, particularly as we're a state where redistricting is decided by citizen panels, not elected officials," Lodi City Councilwoman Lisa Craig-Hensley said. "Understanding the unique values and needs of Lodi residents is the job of elected officials. Only in that way can we make fair decisions that benefit the whole community. Lodi needs to be kept whole to benefit the residents who deserve representation that reflects our shared needs and values."
Lodi Mayor Cameron Bregman said the proposal was simply a power grab that ignores the will of California voters, who have determined district boundaries twice in the last 17 years.
"Above all, having elected officials is about representation," he said. "This state, county, and now city must deal with the grim fact that this redistricting is not about representation, but partisanship. We can kiss any federal help goodbye if the redistricting is approved."
The redistricting effort is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom's battle with President Donald Trump, who has pushed for redistricting Congressional districts in Texas to favor Republicans.
The map released Friday by the Legislature adds five more Democratic-leaning seats, and make four even more left-leaning.
District 1, the northeastern corner of the state represented by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, would change from "safe" to "safe" Democratic, as would District 3, which runs along California's eastern border represented by GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley.
District 41, a battleground seat held by GOP Rep. Ken Calvert, transforms from safe Republican to safe Democratic, while District 48, which spans Riverside and San Diego counties and is held by GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, changes from safe Republican to lean Democratic.
Harder's District 9 would move from "lean" Democratic to safe Democratic, as would District 27, a northern Los Angeles County seat held by Democratic Rep. George Whitesides. District 47, an Orange County district represented by Democratic Rep. Dave Min, also moves from lean Democratic to safe Democratic, as does District 45 which Democratic Rep. Derek Tran won last year in the most expensive race in the country. District 13, narrowly won by Democrat Rep. Adam Gray, changes from lean Republican to safe Democratic.
"There are many cases where I've been supportive of the Legislature sending a bill to the voters for approval," Assemblyman Heath Flora, R-Ripon said. "This is not one of those cases, and the only reason is that so much of this process has been in secret and against the will of the voters from the beginning."
David Cushman, chair of the San Joaquin County Republican Party, said the organization would fight Newsom's attempt to undermine the fair representation of residents.
"Our citizens wanted to make sure we had representation that reflected our needs and values, not those of cities that have nothing in common with our county," he said. "The maps released yesterday are a direct affront to the hard work and countless hours spent just four years ago ensuring our county remained unified in one district. Gavin Newsom and the Sacramento politicians are attempting to split up our county and our communities for partisan political gain, not for the benefit of our residents."
State Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said in a social media post last week that the redistricting effort is "fighting fire with fire" as Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attempt to add five Republican seats to the House of Representatives.
He suggested other states that lean Democrat should do the same.
"I've been through Congressional redistricting twice," he said. "It's a difficult experience for House members who spend most of the preceding decade developing relationships and understanding the challenges in their districts only to lose many of the people and regions they have worked for.
"I would not advocate for mid-decade redistricting or for overturning California's independent redistricting commission except in extreme circumstances," he added. "The current situation is an emergency."
McNerney said Trump thrives on division and retribution and his attempt to tilt the scales toward himself and the GOP in 2026 would democracy and election integrity.
"If California and other blue states fail to respond to mid-decade gerrymandering by Texas and other red states, we'll face three-and-a-half more years of an unchecked Trump, further wrecking our economy and our democratic institutions thanks to a compliant House, Senate, and Supreme Court," he said. "If it flips to a Democratic majority in the 2026 election, as expected, the House will be able to put brakes on Trump's dash to autocracy."
Manuel Zapata, chair of the San Joaquin County Democratic Party, told ABC10 over the weekend that while the redistricting would be "unfortunate" for Lodi, he defended Newsom's reasoning.
"What happens in Texas will directly affect California because of the way that the House of Representatives works," he said. "So, it is a very local issue when we have one party completely rigging the system on a national level that is going to affect every single state."
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