After Governor Newsom of California announced a redrawing of congressional districts and the special election scheduled for November 4th, two supervisors in Orange County criticized that the special election will bring huge losses to taxpayers in the county.
Newsom announced that a special election to redraw congressional districts will take place on November 4th this year, just three months away from now. The Orange County Registrar of Voters estimates that this rushed election will cost the county approximately $13 million, including expenses for purchasing paper, printing ballots and election materials, and providing election staff.
Last Friday (15th), Janet Nguyen, Supervisor of the 1st District, and Donald Wagner, Supervisor of the 3rd District in Orange County jointly issued a press release.
Nguyen stated that the related expenses in Orange County are “wasting taxpayers’ money, and I hope the courts can see the truth”; at the same time, “the community needs to rise up and say ‘no!'”
Nguyen believes that this special election “is a trick by Governor Newsom to campaign for the presidency.” “Newsom wants to run for the US presidency, he will do anything to make headlines,” she said. “He cannot stand the freedom we have here—look at how he targeted us during the COVID pandemic, he is capable of doing anything to control California.”
Wagner stated: “Newsom wants us to foot the bill for this election designed to regain power for his political cronies, which will result in California losing up to $235 million.” “Newsom and the elites in Sacramento should focus on solving the many issues in California, rather than seizing power for personal gain.”
Riverside County, neighboring Orange County, also a populous county, election officials estimate that this election will cost $15 million.
The State Legislature and the Department of Finance have not yet disclosed the costs of the special election statewide, but considering inflation, experts estimate it will exceed approximately $240 million for the cost of the 2021 recall election of the Governor (which allocated $35 million to the Secretary of State’s Office for administrative costs).
Some county officials are concerned about how the county government will bear this cost, hoping that the state government will provide funding in advance rather than compensating afterwards.
According to CalMatters, Newsom stated at a press conference last week that “California will foot the bill” for this, meaning the state government will bear the cost of this election, not the county government. He said, “Democracy should not come with a price tag.”
A spokesperson for the State Department of Finance stated that they will provide election funds to each county in advance. However, there is currently no specific plan.
The last redrawing of district boundaries was after the 2020 census when California’s population decreased for the first time and lost a congressional seat. There are five more years until the next census in 2030, and 2025 is not an election year. The redrawing of federal House districts proposed by the California Legislature includes Districts 1, 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 41, 45, 47, and 48, all of which would favor the Democratic Party and potentially increase Democratic representation in Congress, with Districts 45 and 47 involving Orange County.
Among these 10 districts, five are currently held by Republican incumbents, such as Congressman Doug LaMalfa in the 1st District, who won reelection in 2024 with 65% support, while the new district retains only half of the original one. Another example is Congressman Kevin Kiley in the 3rd District, who won reelection in 2024 with 55% support and often openly criticizes Newsom. The new district retains only about 1/4 of the original one, potentially increasing Democratic-leaning voters.
In the other five districts, the Democratic Party also does not have a significant advantage, such as Congressman Josh Harder in the 9th District, who won by only 4 percentage points in 2024; the 27th and 45th districts are areas where Democrats made a comeback in 2024.