On Friday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom officially launched his redistricting campaign, a picture began to emerge of how California’s congressional districts may change.
Huntington Beach and Newport Beach share a district with Long Beach. Brea and La Habra move into a snaking district in Los Angeles County centered on Downey. The district that includes Laguna Beach snakes down to include Dana Point.
These are just some of the changes to Orange County’s congressional districts the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee proposed in draft maps given to the California Legislature to consider.
“We strongly believe that this map serves the best interest of California voters, while also attempting to push back against the corrupt scheme occurring in Texas and other Republican-majority states where Republicans – doing the bidding of their DC party bosses – are considering adopting a clearly racially gerrymandered, partisan map at the expense of their voters,” Julie Merz, the DCCC’s executive director, said in the letter, a copy of which was provided to the Southern California News Group on Friday, Aug. 15.
Newsom on Thursday launched California’s campaign to redraw congressional boundary lines, a partisan effort meant to favor Democrats in the state as a counter to similar, Republican-led plans elsewhere in the country in the battle for which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
California’s redistricting efforts would only apply to congressional boundary lines, and the changes, should voters approve them, would only be implemented if Republican-led states also move forward with partisan redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump for the 2026 midterm elections, Newsom said. These new congressional lines would be in place for elections in 2026, 2028, and 2030, and then the state would revert to having an independent commission decide congressional district boundaries.
The draft maps still need to be approved by the California Legislature, and with a Democratic majority in the statehouse, that’s expected to happen. Both the state Senate and Assembly elections committees have hearings scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Voters would then need to give final approval to the maps in a special election on Nov. 4.
California Republicans have largely decried efforts to redo California’s congressional maps mid-cycle. Redistricting is typically done every 10 years, consistent with new census data, and boundary lines here are decided by an independent group.
Merz, though, said the DCCC’s proposal for California keeps communities together better than what has been proposed in Texas, where Republicans are hoping to shore up extra House seats in 2026.
“Our proposed map was created using traditional redistricting criteria, consistent with guidelines laid out by the California’s Citizen Redistricting Commission,” Merz said. “It allows for more compact districts than in the current Commission-drawn map, keeps more communities and neighborhoods together, splits fewer cities and makes minimal disruptions to the Commission-drawn map so as to impact as few residents as possible.”
Here’s a look at how Orange County cities could be impacted, should the DCCC’s map be adopted.
California’s 38th Congressional District: Yorba Linda would be included in this district that is mostly in southern Los Angeles County, snaking around to include Diamond Bar and El Monte. This district would include 45% registered Democratic voters, 30% no party preference/other and 24% Republican.
California’s 40th Congressional District: Rancho Santa Margarita and Villa Park are included in this district that stretches east into the Inland Empire, picking up Temescal Valley, Lake Elsinore, Menifee and Murrieta. Here, registered Republicans have the advantage, making up 40% of the proposed district compared to 31% Democratic and 27% no party preference/other.
California’s 41st Congressional District: Brea and La Habra are roped into another snaking district in southern Los Angeles County; this one is centered on Downey and includes Bell Gardens, Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada, Lakewood and Whittier. It would boast 46% registered Democratic voters, 27% no party preference/other, and 26% Republicans.
California’s 42nd Congressional District: This coastal district would put Huntington Beach and Newport Beach into the same district as Long Beach. Registered Democrats make up 40% of the voters in this proposed district, along with 30% Republicans and 28% no party preference/other.
California’s 45th Congressional District: This snaking district includes Buena Park, Cypress, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and Westminster in Orange County, while also picking up Artesia, Cerritos and Hawaiian Gardens in Los Angeles County. It’s largely similar to how the 45th District looks now, but this one snakes down toward the coast, around Seal Beach, a bit more. Here, 39% of registered voters are Democrats, 30% are Republicans and 30% are no party preference/other.
California’s 46th Congressional District: Anaheim, Fullerton, Orange and Santa Ana are included in this Orange County district. Largely similar to the current 46th District, this one would pick up more of Placentia and has more tendrils jutting out into nearby communities. For this proposal, 46% are registered Democrats, 29% are no party preference/other and 24% are Republicans.
California’s 47th Congressional District: Irvine and Tustin are at the northern end of this district, which moves down to pick up Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel and Dana Point. Registered Democratic voters make up 36% of this proposed district, while 32% are Republicans and 31% are no party preference/other.
California’s 49th Congressional District: San Clemente is in this district, which largely dips down into San Diego County. This district would be 36% registered Democrats, 32% Republicans and 31% no party preference/other.
Republicans are against Newsom’s plan for redistricting.
“The draft gerrymandered maps are a travesty,” said Will O’Neill, who leads the Orange County Republican Party.
“Orange County’s cities are sliced and diced in ways that only a power-hungry partisan could love,” O’Neill said, pointing to how proposed district lines break some cities up, including Mission Viejo and Newport Beach.
“This fragmented and disjointed approach serves a thirst for power, but certainly doesn’t serve voters who want clean maps that keep communities whole,” he said. “Proponents will claim, ‘yeah, but Texas,’ while undermining the voters that they serve here in California. The fight against backroom deals in the dark begins now.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.