Sacramento Valley Union Labor Bulletin

Owned and Published by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council, official councils of the AFL-CIO

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed redrawing California’s Congressional maps to favor Democrats in response to a Texas effort to give more Congressional seats in that state to Republicans. - Courtesy of the Office of the Governor
LABOR BULLETINSLIDER

California Labor unites to fight Texas gerrymandering

Labor Bulletin

By Sheri Williams

The California Federation of Labor Unions has unanimously endorsed supporting the call for a special election this year to set new congressional district lines in California in response to the effort by Texas Republicans to gerrymander their state.

The unprecedented action came after Gov. Gavin Newsom in August announced the launch of a statewide effort that will enable Californians to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to rig Texas’ elections next year—gerrymandering democratically elected representatives out of office to immunize Trump from the unpopularity of his policies and keep Trump’s power unchecked by Congress. Newsom has proposed a temporary set of new voting maps in California that will favor Democratic candidates, thereby neutralizing any gains that the Texas effort brings to Republicans.

“President Trump has said that Republicans are ‘entitled’ to five more congressional votes in Texas. Well, they aren’t entitled to steal the 2026 election. California’s unions refuse to stand by as democracy is tested,” said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. “California Labor is unified in our resolve to fight back against President Trump’s anti-worker agenda. We are 2.3 million union members strong and we will use our collective power to campaign for this redistricting effort and win.”

Alongside state leaders and advocates representing the Golden State, Newsom announced the effort by saying, “California will not sit idle as Trump and his Republican lapdogs shred our country’s democracy before our very eyes. In just six months, Trump’s unchecked power has cost Americans billions and taken an ax to the greatest democracy we’ve ever known. This moment calls for urgency and action—that is what we are putting before voters this November, a chance to fight back against his anti-American ways.”

The redistricting can only happen if voters approve a November ballot measure with a constitutional amendment—known as The Election Rigging Response Act.

The Act would keep California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and declare a state policy supporting the use of fair, nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide. But it would also temporarily adopt new California congressional districts for use in congressional elections through 2030. However, there is a “trigger” on the new maps, clarifying they would only be used if Texas moves forward with its gerrymander. If that state backs down, the new California maps would not go into effect and the current districts would remain.

In July and in August, Governor Newsom hosted Texas state leaders to discuss the special session currently underway in the Lone Star State, the real threats to democracy Governor Abbott is pursuing behind closed doors at the request of President Trump, and the need for real action to help survivors of the deadly storms earlier this summer—the original intent of the special session, according to the governor’s office. “However, President Trump has publicly and repeatedly pressured an uneasy state legislature to redraw their congressional map—mid cycle—to more favorably support Republicans. And, recent polling found 63% of likely Texas voters view its Trump-backed redistricting plan as unnecessary,” the release said.

“Over the past several months, we have seen the Trump administration freeze funds for critical education programs, cut healthcare for millions of our students and their families, attempt to dismantle the Department of Education, and pass a new voucher program designed to destroy public education entirely,” said California Teachers Association (CTA) President David B. Goldberg. “It is clear that we are also now facing an unprecedented power grab by Texas and other states to steal congressional seats and rig the 2026 election in favor of the current federal administration. This is a direct and urgent attack on our democracy. If this power grab goes unchecked, we will only see more drastic cuts to public education, healthcare, and other critical services and a further erosion of basic civil and human rights in our communities. California union educators will fight back against any and all attacks on our democracy and public education.”

“Trump and his MAGA loyalists are trying to steal the next election and establish one-party rule, but California has a way to respond, and SEIU members stand ready to defend our rights,” said SEIU California President David Huerta. “We did not choose this path, but we’re not going to let Texas and Trump manipulate our Democracy. We will fight fire with fire. SEIU members and our communities have worked too hard to protect and strengthen our democracy to stand by while President Trump attempts to silence our voice—we are ready to move forward now and lead this fight for California and every American whose voices and votes are at stake.”