Incumbents in California could face reelection challenges under draft congressional maps
Several California members of Congress could face uphill battles to remain in office under draft political maps released Wednesday, with some incumbents drawn into the same districts and others possibly forced to run in areas where their party trails in voter registration.
The political muscle of Latino voters appears to be strengthened under the California Citizens Redistricting Commission’s proposed maps — a reflection of demographic changes in the state since the current congressional and legislative districts were drawn a decade ago. More than a dozen congressional districts were mapped to include significant Latino voting populations.
Commissioners conceded that the maps were imperfect and will likely change notably in the coming weeks.
“I have a laundry list of areas that I think will need a lot of refinement,” said Commissioner Sara Sadhwani.
Many details about the proposed districts were difficult to discern because of the lack of information released by the commission before their unanimous vote Wednesday evening to approve them. Low-resolution draft maps that staff members posted online were hard to read and the district lines were covered with large titles, leaving political boundaries for large swaths of Los Angeles and Orange counties a mystery. Higher-resolution maps were posted in the evening, giving the public little time to examine them before the vote.