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In-House Opinions: Local Congress members on gerrymandering

May 29, 2026

Nationwide, efforts by both Republicans and Democrats to redraw congressional district maps ahead of November’s midterm elections are dramatically changing political boundaries.

Texas, at the suggestion of President Donald Trump, went first with GOP lawmakers’ efforts to create more Republican districts and help hold on to power in the House of Representatives. California followed with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 50, which got voter approval to allow a temporary override of the citizen commission that formerly drew the maps and ended up with more Democratic-leaning districts.

Other states are getting in the partisan game.

We asked Southern California House members for their opinions on all the rampant gerrymandering. At least one declined to answer, saying that this was more of an issue for campaign consultants, not for the members themselves. But several did reply:

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach: “There should be a national redistricting standard that prohibits gerrymandering. Redistricting should happen once every 10 years, as has been our tradition. Unfortunately, when Texas decided to gerrymander, California had to respond. I also strongly support the Voting Rights Act and oppose the decision by the Supreme Court. Representation is critical to a strong democracy.”

Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia: “Americans deserve congressional maps that are fair, transparent and stable. While redistricting is an important constitutional process, repeatedly redrawing maps in the middle of a decade risks making voters feel like politicians are choosing their voters instead of the other way around. That erodes trust in the fairness of our elections and weakens confidence in our democracy. Redistricting should be implemented through a regular census-driven process every ten years, not as a constant political exercise.”

Rep. Dave Min, D-Irvine: “I hate gerrymandering. Elected representatives, whether in Congress or state legislatures, should represent compact communities with common interests and values. That is the essence of democracy. However, Republicans– with the support of a hyper-partisan Supreme Court majority that has taken a wrecking ball to longstanding constitutional doctrines and the clear language of the Voting Rights Act – have been hell-bent on defying the will of the people by repeatedly gerrymandering in Red states. I support a federal ban on gerrymandering across the country, but until that happens, Blue states cannot unilaterally disarm, particularly given the unprecedented threats to our rule of law and our Constitution right now. We must stop bringing rules of procedure to a gun fight. As far as the Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais is obscenely partisan and shameful. The majority effectively makes racist gerrymandering legal again by requiring plaintiffs to meet an impossible standard of showing evidence of actual racist intent, effectively allowing racists to deny racial minorities (especially Black voters) representation in Congress, just as was the case in the Jim Crow era.”

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance: “I support independent redistricting commissions that redraw maps every 10 years, and I believe all 50 states should have them. But we’ve seen what happens when only some states have them. The imbalance ties the hands of states trying to do what is fairest and allows states that don’t have commissions to change their maps and thus potentially their election outcomes. Democrats are committed to ensuring people have fair representation despite this terrible Supreme Court decision to gut the Voting Rights Act.”

Orange County Register

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In-House Opinions: Local Congress members on gerrymandering

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