Maps for new House of Representatives districts going before California voters Nov. 4 would dilute — if not outright erase — GOP voters’ influence in Riverside County by splitting up red cities that form a backbone of support for Republicans Ken Calvert of Corona and Darrell Issa of San Diego County.

If approved by voters, Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, would obliterate Calvert’s purple district, potentially jeopardizing his three-decade run on Capitol Hill. Issa would go from a safe red district to one with a plurality of Democratic voters.

The new maps drawn by Democrats leave existing districts in San Bernardino County and eastern Los Angeles County relatively untouched, letting incumbents of both parties run for safe seats.

The shifting lines also spare Reps. Mark Takano, D-Riverside and Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, whose districts include much of Riverside County.

Not surprisingly, California Republicans are seething over the overtly partisan mapmaking.

Republican Party of Riverside County Chairwoman Lori Stone called the new maps “nothing short of a blatant power grab” by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“Inland Californians have already been heavily disenfranchised through gerrymandering and now he is openly talking about erasing our voice altogether,” Stone, a Murrieta city councilmember, said via email.

California Democratic leaders, who used their supermajority to zip Prop. 50 through the legislature, argue the new maps wouldn’t be needed if Texas’ Republican majority, prompted by President Donald Trump, hadn’t redrawn the Lone Star State’s House districts to add more red seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“Californians believe in democracy and freedom, and we will not stand by while the House is hijacked by authoritarianism,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, said after Newsom signed legislation authorizing the November special election.

Currently, the GOP holds a narrow House majority. A few flipped seats — or gerrymandered districts — could decide control of the chamber for the remainder of Trump’s term, effectively empowering or blunting his agenda.

Historically, the president’s party loses congressional seats in midterms. And recent polls show Democrats in good position to win back the House after losing it in 2024.

Political redistricting in California normally happens 10 years after the census. An independent commission, legally obligated to exclude partisanship from mapmaking, draws the lines with public input.

Prop. 50 asks voters to use the new maps — drawn without public feedback — for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections, after which the commission would take back the mapmaking pen.

The new maps for California’s 52 House districts would not affect boundaries for state legislative districts. Nor does Prop. 50 ask voters to elect anyone.

Prop. 50 comes as Inland Republicans, after watching local Democrats gain voters and rack up a string of wins in competitive races since 2012, enjoyed a fruitful 2024 election cycle.

Trump became the first GOP presidential candidate in 20 years to win Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Underdog Republicans won two Assembly seats in Riverside County. And since 2020, the GOP has outpaced Democrats in voter registration in more than 30 Inland cities.

Inland Republicans also are making their mark statewide.

Former Inland GOP Assemblymember Bill Essayli is now U.S. attorney for much of Southern California. Republican and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is running for governor. And conservative Chino Hills school board President Sonja Shaw hopes to become the new state superintendent of public instruction.

Currently, five Democrats and four Republicans represent Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the House. Most have a clear path to reelection with the new maps, including Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia.

If voters approve redistricting, Obernolte likely would run in the new version of his 23rd Congressional District, which includes communities he now represents in San Bernardino County’s High Desert and the San Bernardino mountains. The new 23rd would expand south to include Blythe in far eastern Riverside County.

Like Obernolte’s current district, the redrawn 23rd has a plurality of GOP voters. Ruiz, Takano and Reps. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, and Norma Torres, D-Ontario, would likely run in blue districts encompassing much of the same turf they represent now.

Not all cities would stay in the same district if the new maps are approved.

Claremont, for example, would go from a seat held by Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena to the district where Torres would likely run in 2026. Chino Hills, Eastvale, Norco — a GOP stronghold — and north Corona also would go into a district where 43% of registered voters are Democrats compared to 26% for Republicans.

In an emailed statement, Norco Mayor Greg Newton said he’s concerned Norco “will not receive the same level of advocacy or support in a (new) district that crosses county lines, with much larger cities who have different needs than Norco.”

“We had a redistricting commission, who was conscientious about fair representation,” Newton added. “I don’t believe the time spent doing that work should be dismissed. Redistricting should be done by the people, not the politicians.”

Temecula Mayor Brenden Kalfus noted that his city, founded in 1989, has always been represented by Republicans in the House and has “benefitted greatly” by getting tens of millions of federal dollars for infrastructure.

Kalfus said the city will work with whoever represents it.

“I respect the will of the voters,” he said via email. “I respected the previous will of the voters to have an independent redistricting commission redraw the congressional lines … and I will also respect the will of the voters in November 2025, should they decide to adopt redrawn lines mid-cycle.”

Right now, Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, represents the 40th Congressional District, which includes parts of Orange County along with parts of Chino Hills and Corona.

Redistricting likely would put Kim, a top 2026 Democratic target, in a red district with a bigger slice of the Inland Empire. The redrawn 40th would merge parts of Orange County with Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Temescal Valley, Wildomar and south Corona.

Marcia Godwin, a professor of public administration at the University of La Verne, said via email that the proposed 40th’s shape “seems to be related to Voting Rights Act compliance along with the need for Republicans in Calvert’s district to be relocated.”

“It may be incidental that Kim has been rated as one of the more effective representatives and has cosponsored bills in Democrats more than the typical Republican members,” Godwin added.

The 40th’s proposed redesign goes to the heart of Democrats’ strategy to boost their prospects by splitting up Riverside County’s red cities. Issa, for example, would lose GOP-friendly Murrieta to the redrawn 40th.

Instead, Issa’s 48th Congressional District would inherit deep blue Palm Springs. That district, which would include northeast San Diego County, would go from red — 48% Republican, 29% Democratic — to slightly blue, with 37% of voters being Democrats compared to 33% for Republicans.

The new 48th “may be more competitive than has been portrayed,” Godwin said.

“If you look just at the 2024 presidential vote, it looks like the gerrymander will be successful. If you look at several election cycles, it appears to be more evenly divided. It appears that the Democratic Party is counting on a boost in turnout from Democratic voters.”

It could be even worse for Calvert, who would lose his 41st Congressional District entirely. The new 41st would be outside the Inland Empire, potentially forcing Calvert, who’s on Democrats’ target list, to either run in a blue district or compete with fellow Republican Kim in the new 40th.

The current 41st’s demise would upend the campaigns of the half dozen or so Democrats who plan to challenge Calvert in 2026.

One, Jason Byors, recently announced plans to run for Assembly. At least two others — Anuj Dixit and Brandon Riker — plan to run in the new 48th.

“Palm Springs is my home,” Riker said via email. “While the district lines may change, my mission stays the same: to fight for this community every single day.”

Most people dislike gerrymandering and want independent commissions to draw political districts, Shaun Bowler, a UC Riverside political science professor, said via email.

He noted that the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 allowed partisan mapmaking by refusing to overturn a GOP gerrymander in North Carolina. It’s unclear, he added, whether the high court’s conservative majority “will stand by its own precedent or overturn what California is doing because this time it is the Democrats” doing it.

“Starting down this road of gerrymandering and partisan courts means that institutions are undermined because people don’t  see them as legitimate,” Bowler said.

“There may be short-term partisan gains … but with serious longer-term costs as public support erodes. It’s why many of the people who study politics and history are really quite nervous.”

The post How California redistricting would affect the Inland Empire appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Still haven’t cast your ballot? Here are some last-minute reminders:

• Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, Nov. 5. Those unsure if their ballot will make it in the mail in time can also bring their ballots to any polling location in the state or a ballot drop box in their counties by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Traditional in-person voting: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Click here to find your polling location.
• The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election was Oct. 21, but residents can also register in person on Election Day for a conditional ballot. Click here to learn more.

Local Races

Riverside County has a plethora of contests. Depending on where you live, your ballot may be chock full of local races to decide. Here’s a look at everything being voted on in Riverside County (scroll to see all the races):

—U.S. Senate

A consequential contest to watch is the race for the U.S. Senate seat long-held by the late Dianne Feinstein. In fact, voters are casting their ballot twice in this race, choosing a candidate to finish out Feinstein’s current term and again for the next term, which begins in 2025.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey are both vying for the seat. Schiff, a progressive favorite in the Golden State, has served as a Democratic congressman here since 2000, representing the state’s 30th Congressional District in Los Angeles County.

Garvey, formerly an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, advanced in March to the November ballot as a first-time political candidate. Republicans have failed to advance a candidate in two of the last three U.S. Senate races, making Garvey’s defeat of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, a rare feat for the GOP in blue California.

According to a recent poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, Schiff holds a 28 point-lead (63 percent to 35 percent) over Garvey. Schiff gained widespread name recognition for his role in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Read more about that race here.

—U.S. House

As for congressional races, the state’s most competitive contests for the U.S. House seats in California are primarily in three regions — the Central Valley, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent election report. The competitive races include districts 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47 and 49.

Currently, the GOP holds seven of these seats. Here’s a brief breakdown of the candidates in each competitive area:

• District 3, which hugs the Nevada border from Death Valley to the Sacramento suburbs, will see another contest between Republican Incumbent Kevin Kiley and returning Democratic candidate Jessica Morse. Kiley previously attempted to run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a failed recall attempt.
• District 9 centered in Stockton pits Democratic incumbent against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln II.
• In District 13 covering the San Joaquin Valley, Republican incumbent John Duarte — who flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974 — will go up against Democrat Adam Gray. Since Redistricting in 2022, the district is considered a left-leaning swing district whose voters went for Biden in 2020 but chose a Republican representative in 2022.
• District 22 in the San Joaquin Valley will have Republican incumbent David G. Valadao challenge Democrat Rudy Salas. Both candidates were neck-and-neck during the March primary, with Valadao receiving 32.7 votes to Salas’ 31.3. Redistricting has shifted the 22nd to the left since 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the House.
• In District 27, which covers northeast Los Angeles County, GOP incumbent Mike Garcia is pitted against George Whitesides, a former chief of staff of NASA during Barack Obama’s presidency and a formidable challenger for Garcia, who has held the seat since 2020.
• In District 40, covering northeast Riverside County, Democrat Joe Kerr will challenge Republican incumbent Young Kim.
• District 41 will have Republican incumbent Ken Calvert face off against a much younger Democratic contender, Will Rollins. Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member in California Congress. Rollins, who is gay, has clashed with Calvert over LGBTQ+ issues, which may prove to be a challenge for him in a district that encompasses Palm Springs.
• Orange County’s District 45, covering inland north county communities, is diverse both politically and by ethnicity, since the area hosts the largest population of Vietnamese people in the nation. There, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel will face off against Derek Tran, a Democrat known for his advocacy for workers’ rights.
• District 47, another Orange County stronghold, is currently represented by Rep. Katie Porter, who did poorly in the March primary and is not seeking reelection. Former GOP state legislator Scott Baugh, who lost to Porter previously, will challenge Sen. Dave Min.
• District 49 will see Democratic incumbent Mike Levin go up against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson.

—State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California if there were not a slew of proposed propositions on the ballot.

There are 10 statewide propositions being voted on, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. There are also two amendments to the state constitution, one which would repeal the unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage and another that would make it easier for bond measures to pass by lowering the voter threshold from the current supermajority needed to approve bond measures.

However, the most hot-button measure on the ballot is Proposition 36, which seeks to reverse some of the criminal justice reforms passed when voters approved Proposition 47 a decade ago. If Prop 36 passes, it could significantly increase prison time for some drug and theft offenses that are currently misdemeanors.

The post Riverside County Election Guide: Deadlines, Reminders appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.