The morning after California voters approved a redistricting measure that would flip multiple seats for Democrats in next year’s election, the state’s GOP filed a federal lawsuit to stop the effort from proceeding.
The lawsuit from the California Republican Party and several of its leaders argues that the proposed new maps, which Prop 50 now allows the state legislature to vote on, are unconstitutional because they use race as a factor in drawing the new districts.
“As the first Polynesian elected ever to the state legislature, I understand the diversity and the beauty that this state has, and what we have seen with Prop 50 ― these maps, they are completely diminishing the voices of other groups to benefit other groups,” Assemblymember David Tangipa, who represents seven inland counties in the state legislature, said at a Wednesday press conference.
California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin said the lawsuit was to ensure “fair and equal representation for every California, no matter the color of your skin.”
Mike Columbo, a lawyer with Dhillon Law Group representing the GOP plaintiffs, said the main issue with the new maps is that the districts were improperly drawn to “increase the power of Latino voters,” which comprise the state’s largest ethnic group.
