California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Saturday which aimed to enforce the creation of independent redistricting commissions for local elections in certain cities within the state. The rejected legislation, known as Assembly Bill 1248, would have applied to cities and counties with over 300,000 residents and school or community college districts with 500,000 members.
The bill was borne out of the 2020 redistricting cycle when the state of California allowed temporary independent control over redistricting. According to members of the California Assembly, independent commissions enabled better outcomes in terms of transparency, public involvement, representation, and fairness of district assignments.
The proposed legislation also established rules that the commissions would need to adhere to. These guidelines aimed to ensure fairness in their operations, including a requirement for commission-members to be representative of the community and politically diverse.
Despite the California Senate’s agreement to pass the bill, it was vetoed by Governor Newsom. The Governor declined to sign based on what he cited as purely financial reasons. In a public statement, Newsom explained that this bill could create a state-reimbursable mandate worth tens of millions which should be considered in the annual budget process.
According to Newsom, bills enacted outside the budget process, if all passed, would add nearly $19 billion in unaccounted costs in the budget, of which $11 billion would be ongoing. In his view, given the continuing economic risk and revenue uncertainty faced by the state, it is essential to stay disciplined when considering bills having significant fiscal implications.
Newsom’s veto of the redistricting commission bill was one of several enacted on Saturday. In total, decisions were made to sign or veto more than 100 Senate and Assembly bills. The Governor cited budgetary restrictions in relation to most of the bills he vetoed.
More detailed coverage can be found on the Jurist website.