California's congressional districts

California is the most populous U.S. state; as a result, it has the most representation in the United States House of Representatives, with 53 Representatives. Each Representative represents one congressional district.

California's congressional districts since 2013

Starting in the 2022 mid-term elections, per the 2020 United States census, California will lose a new congressional seat.[1] This marked the first time in the state's history where it will lose a seat.[2]

1992: Court ordered districts

The 1990 census gave California seven additional congressional seats. Attempts by the legislature to draw up new districts were unsuccessful, as three different plans drawn up by the Democratic-controlled Legislature were vetoed by Republican governor Pete Wilson. In September 1991 the California Supreme Court took jurisdiction over the redistricting process to break the stalemate.[3][4] Districts were drawn up by a panel of retired judges.

2002: Bipartisan redistricting
California's 38th congressional district, 2003-2013

After the 2000 census, the California State Legislature was obliged to complete redistricting[5] for House of Representatives districts (in accordance with Article 1, Section 4 of the United States Constitution) as well as California State Assembly and California State Senate districts. It was mutually decided by legislators that the status quo in terms of balance of power would be preserved - a so-called Incumbent Protection Plan.[6] A bipartisan gerrymandering effort was done, and districts were configured in such a way that they were dominated by one or the other party, with few districts that could be considered competitive. In some cases this resulted in extremely convoluted boundary lines.

In the 2004 elections, a win by less than 55 percent of the vote was quite rare. This was seen in only five out of 80 State Assembly seats and two out of 20 State Senate seats up for election. The congressional seats were even less competitive than the state legislative districts - just three of the 53 districts were won with less than 60 percent of the vote in 2004.

2012: Citizens Redistricting Commission

Proposition 11, a California ballot proposition known as the Voters FIRST Act, was approved by the voters on November 4, 2008. It removed from the California Legislature the responsibility for drawing the state's congressional districts, and gave the responsibility instead to a 14-member Citizens Commission.[7] The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of removing the responsibility from the legislature. The proposition also required that the districts drawn up (1) comply with the federal Voting Rights Act; (2) make districts contiguous; (3) respect, to the extent possible, the integrity of cities, counties, neighborhoods and "communities of interest"; and (4) to the extent possible, make districts compact. Several of these terms are not defined in law.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had earlier proposed placing the redistricting process in the hands of retired judges, which was on the November ballot as an initiative in a special election (called by the Governor on June 14, 2005), Proposition 77. The special election was held on November 8, 2005. However, the initiative was overwhelmingly defeated, with 59 percent voting no. All initiatives, including those proposed by the Governor's allies and several independent initiatives, failed that year.

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission certified final district maps on August 15, 2011, and they took effect with the 2012 election.[8] The new districts are described as more "purple" than "red" or "blue" - that is, more mixed in electoral composition compared to the mostly "safe" districts of the previous decade, where incumbents were almost guaranteed re-election. These new districts, combined with demographic trends over several decades that favored the Democratic party, resulted in a gain of four House of Representatives seats for California Democrats in the 2012 elections.

2020: Citizens Redistricting Commission

Selection process

The 14-member Commission is made up of five Republicans, five Democrats, and four members who are not affiliated with either party. Initial and supplemental applications were forwarded to a review panel consisting of three independent auditors from the CA State Auditor. This panel selected 120 of the "most qualified applicants", who were then personally interviewed and divided into three equal sub-pools according to party affiliation, and then narrowed down to 60 applicants.[9]

The review panel presented those 60 applicants to the California State Legislature, where leadership had the option of removing up to 24 names from the list, eight from each sub-pool. The names of the remaining applicants were submitted to the California State Auditor, who randomly drew three Democrats, three Republicans, and two from neither of those parties. These eight individuals became the first eight members of the commission, and they selected the remaining six members by selecting two commissioners from each of the three sub-pools.[9]

Redistricting process

The commission received the official 2020 U.S. Census data on which the maps must be based, by law, on September 21, 2021. Draft maps were released on November 21, and final maps were submitted to the California Secretary of State on December 27, 2021.[10]

The new districts are considered "enacted" as of December 27, 2021. However, there is a 90-day period for a referendum petition to be filed to prevent the maps from becoming effective. This referendum period ended on March 27, 2022. Even after becoming effective, the newly redrawn districts won't become official until the 2022 primary and general elections, and the new districts won't actually exist until after the 2022 general election is complete.[11] Until the 2023 inaugurations, the existing boundaries and elected representatives remain as shown below.

Current (until 2023 inauguration) districts and representatives

List of members of the California United States House delegation, their terms in office, district boundaries, and their political ratings according to the CPVI. The delegation for the 117th Congress has a total of 53 members, with 42 Democrats (including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi) and 10 Republicans (including minority leader Kevin McCarthy). One seat, the 22nd, has been vacant since January 3, 2022, after the resignation of Devin Nunes.

Current U.S. representatives from California
()
District Member
(Residence)[12]		 Party Incumbent since CPVI
(2021)[13]		 District map
1st
Doug LaMalfa
(Oroville)		 Republican January 3, 2013 R+11
2nd
Jared Huffman
(San Rafael)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+23
3rd
John Garamendi
(Walnut Grove)		 Democratic January 3, 2009 D+5
4th
Tom McClintock
(Elk Grove)		 Republican January 3, 2009 R+8
5th
Mike Thompson
(St. Helena)		 Democratic February 3, 1999 D+22
6th
Doris Matsui
(Sacramento)		 Democratic March 10, 2005 D+21
7th
Ami Bera
(Elk Grove)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+5
8th
Jay Obernolte
(Big Bear Lake)		 Republican January 3, 2021 R+8
9th
Jerry McNerney
(Stockton)		 Democratic January 3, 2007 D+8
10th
Josh Harder
(Turlock)		 Democratic January 3, 2019 EVEN
11th
Mark DeSaulnier
(Concord)		 Democratic January 3, 2015 D+24
12th
Nancy Pelosi
(San Francisco)		 Democratic June 2, 1987 D+38
13th
Barbara Lee
(Oakland)		 Democratic April 21, 1998 D+40
14th
Jackie Speier
(Hillsborough)		 Democratic April 8, 2008 D+28
15th
Eric Swalwell
(Dublin)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+22
16th
Jim Costa
(Fresno)		 Democratic January 3, 2005 D+9
17th
Ro Khanna
(Fremont)		 Democratic January 3, 2017 D+24
18th
Anna Eshoo
(Atherton)		 Democratic January 3, 1993 D+27
19th
Zoe Lofgren
(San Jose)		 Democratic January 3, 1995 D+23
20th
Jimmy Panetta
(Carmel Valley)		 Democratic January 3, 2017 D+23
21st
David Valadao
(Hanford)		 Republican January 3, 2021 D+5
22nd
Vacant		 None January 3, 2022 R+6
23rd
Kevin McCarthy
(Bakersfield)		 Republican January 3, 2007 R+12
24th
Salud Carbajal
(Santa Barbara)		 Democratic January 3, 2017 D+10
25th
Mike Garcia
(Santa Clarita)		 Republican May 19, 2020 D+3
26th
Julia Brownley
(Westlake Village)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+10
27th
Judy Chu
(Monterey Park)		 Democratic July 14, 2009 D+18
28th
Adam Schiff
(Burbank)		 Democratic January 3, 2001 D+23
29th
Tony Cárdenas
(Pacoima)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+27
30th
Brad Sherman
(Sherman Oaks)		 Democratic January 3, 1997 D+20
31st
Pete Aguilar
(Redlands)		 Democratic January 3, 2015 D+9
32nd
Grace Napolitano
(Norwalk)		 Democratic January 3, 1999 D+17
33rd
Ted Lieu
(Torrance)		 Democratic January 3, 2015 D+19
34th
Jimmy Gomez
(Los Angeles)		 Democratic July 11, 2017 D+34
35th
Norma Torres
(Pomona)		 Democratic January 3, 2015 D+17
36th
Raul Ruiz
(Coachella)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+4
37th
Karen Bass
(Los Angeles)		 Democratic January 3, 2011 D+36
38th
Linda Sánchez
(Whittier)		 Democratic January 3, 2003 D+17
39th
Young Kim
(La Habra)		 Republican January 3, 2021 D+3
40th
Lucille Roybal-Allard
(Downey)		 Democratic January 3, 1993 D+31
41st
Mark Takano
(Riverside)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+12
42nd
Ken Calvert
(Corona)		 Republican January 3, 1993 R+7
43rd
Maxine Waters
(Los Angeles)		 Democratic January 3, 1991 D+29
44th
Nanette Barragán
(San Pedro)		 Democratic January 3, 2017 D+32
45th
Katie Porter
(Irvine)		 Democratic January 3, 2019 D+3
46th
Lou Correa
(Santa Ana)		 Democratic January 3, 2017 D+16
47th
Alan Lowenthal
(Long Beach)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+14
48th
Michelle Steel
(Surfside)		 Republican January 3, 2021 R+1
49th
Mike Levin
(San Juan Capistrano)		 Democratic January 3, 2019 D+4
50th
Darrell Issa
(Vista)		 Republican January 3, 2021 R+8
51st
Juan Vargas
(San Diego)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+20
52nd
Scott Peters
(San Diego)		 Democratic January 3, 2013 D+12
53rd
Sara Jacobs
(San Diego)		 Democratic January 3, 2021 D+17

Historical district boundaries
  • Districts from 2003 to 2013

See also

Notes

The State of California operates under a Top Two Candidates Open Primary system. Under this system, most of the offices (including all U.S. Congressional seats in the State of California) that were previously considered “partisan” are now referred to as “voter-nominated.” The only traditionally “partisan” offices that remain on California ballots are for the offices of President of the United States and for County Central Committees. In a Top Two Candidates Open Primary system, all candidates for a specific office appear on the same ballot and only the top two vote-getters in the Primary Election (regardless of political affiliation) move on to the General Election. Because of this, candidates now declare a “Party Preference” rather than a “Party Affiliation.”[14]

Due to redistricting, the Congressional District numbers in California have changed for the 2022 Election Cycle. Through this process, the District numbers have changed the following ways:[15]

·       California's 1st Congressional District will remain California's 1st Congressional District;

·       California's 2nd Congressional District will remain California's 2nd Congressional District;

·       California's 3rd Congressional District will become California's 8th Congressional District;

·       California's 4th Congressional District will become California's 3rd Congressional District;

·       California's 5th Congressional District will become California's 4th Congressional District;

·       California's 6th Congressional District will become California's 7th Congressional District;

·       California's 7th Congressional District will become California's 6th Congressional District;

·       California's 8th Congressional District will become California's 23rd Congressional District;

·       California's 9th Congressional District will remain California's 9th Congressional District;

·       California's 10th Congressional District will become California's 13th Congressional District;

·       California's 11th Congressional District will become California's 10th Congressional District;

·       California's 12th Congressional District will become California's 11th Congressional District;

·       California's 13th Congressional District will become California's 12th Congressional District;

·       California's 14th Congressional District will become California's 15th Congressional District;

·       California's 15th Congressional District will become California's 14th Congressional District;

·       California's 16th Congressional District will become California's 21st Congressional District;

·       California's 17th Congressional District will remain California's 17th Congressional District;

·       California's 18th Congressional District will become California's 16th Congressional District;

·       California's 19th Congressional District will become California's 18th Congressional District;

·       California's 20th Congressional District will become California's 19th Congressional District;

·       California's 21st Congressional District will become California's 22nd Congressional District;

·       California's 22nd Congressional District will become California's 5th Congressional District;

·       California's 23rd Congressional District will become California's 20th Congressional District;

·       California's 24th Congressional District will remain California's 24th Congressional District;

·       California's 25th Congressional District will become California's 27th Congressional District;

·       California's 26th Congressional District will remain California's 26th Congressional District;

·       California's 27th Congressional District will become California's 28th Congressional District;

·       California's 28th Congressional District will become California's 30th Congressional District;

·       California's 29th Congressional District will remain California's 29th Congressional District;

·       California's 30th Congressional District will become California's 32nd Congressional District;

·       California's 31st Congressional District will become California's 33rd Congressional District;

·       California's 32nd Congressional District will become California's 31st Congressional District;

·       California's 33rd Congressional District will become California's 36th Congressional District;

·       California's 34th Congressional District will remain California's 34th Congressional District;

·       California's 35th Congressional District will remain California's 35th Congressional District;

·       California's 36th Congressional District will become California's 25th Congressional District;

·       California's 37th Congressional District will remain California's 37th Congressional District;

·       California's 38th Congressional District will remain California's 38th Congressional District;

·       California's 39th Congressional District will become California's 40th Congressional District;

·       California's 40th Congressional District will become California's 42nd Congressional District;~

·       California's 41st Congressional District will become California's 39th Congressional District;

·       California's 42nd Congressional District will become California's 41st Congressional District;

·       California's 43rd Congressional District will remain California's 43rd Congressional District;

·       California's 44th Congressional District will remain California's 44th Congressional District;

·       California's 45th Congressional District will become California's 47th Congressional District;

·       California's 46th Congressional District will remain California's 46th Congressional District;

·       California's 47th Congressional District will become California's 42nd Congressional District;~

·       California's 48th Congressional District will become California's 45th Congressional District;

·       California's 49th Congressional District will remain California's 49th Congressional District;

·       California's 50th Congressional District will become California's 48th Congressional District;

·       California's 51st Congressional District will become California's 52nd Congressional District;

·       California's 52nd Congressional District will become California's 50th Congressional District;

·       California's 53rd Congressional District will become California's 51st Congressional District;

~ Due to Redistricting, the State of California lost a Congressional Seat due to a decrease in total population. That is why this chart shows both the 40th and the 47th Congressional Districts becoming the new 42nd Congressional District.

References
  1. Merica, Dan; Stark, Liz (April 26, 2021). "Census Bureau announces 331 million people in US, Texas will add two congressional seats". CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  2. Mason, Melanie; Mehta, Seema (April 26, 2021). "California to lose a congressional seat, according to new census data". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  3. "Supreme Court takes over remapping job". Sacramento Bee. September 26, 1991. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  4. "Court Remap Plan Could Cut Democrats' Clout in California". Washington Post. December 4, 1991. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  5. The word "gerrymandering" is replaced with redistricting as the word "gerrymandering" refers, by definition, to the redrawing of districts to the advantage of a single party or for partisan gain
  6. "Latinos May Gain Few Seats in Redistricting; Politics: Their push for more representation in Congress clashes with Democrats' desire to protect incumbents as district boundaries are redrawn". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  7. "Citizens Commission website: background". Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  8. "California Citizens Redistricting Commission | "Fair Representation - Democracy at Work!"".
  9. "About Us".
  10. "Press Releases".
  11. "What New Districts Mean".
  12. "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  13. "Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  14. Secretary of State, California (January 27, 2022). "Frequently Asked Questions". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  15. Gunzburger, Ron. "Politics1 - Online Guide to California Elections, Candidates & Politics". politics1.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
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