5:03Pedestrians pass the Earl Warren Building, which houses California’s highest court, in San Francisco. On Thursday, June 22, 2023, the California Supreme Court held that law-enforcement officers are not shielded from civil liability for wrongdoing occurring within the course of investigations. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)Jeff Chiu/AP
Late Wednesday, the state Supreme Court rejected a plea from GOP lawmakers urging the justices to compel the legislature to pause for 30 days before acting on any bill that could place revised congressional districts on the November ballot.
“The writ request and the motion for a stay are denied. Petitioners have not satisfied the burden of showing grounds for relief under California Constitution article IV, section 8,” the justices stated.
The complainants, in remarks provided first to ABC outlet KGO, pledged to keep resisting the draft bill.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is, by no means, the conclusion of this battle,” wrote State Sens. Tony Strickland and Suzette Martinez Valladares, Assemblyman Tri Ta and Assemblywoman Kathryn Sanchez.
“While the Court turned down our petition, it provided no reasoning for its action. Thus, Governor Newsom and Democratic lawmakers’ scheme to hollow out the voter-created Citizens Redistricting Commission, stifle public comment, and saddle taxpayers with costs exceeding $200 million moves forward. … We will pursue this illegal power grab in courtrooms and at the ballot. Californians deserve honest, open elections, not clandestine deals to protect incumbents.”
Meanwhile, in Sacramento, lawmakers inched closer on Wednesday to moving Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting package, proposing a November special election where voters would decide on freshly drawn congressional maps.
Republicans renewed their clash with Democrats on Wednesday about the expense of that ballot, and the legislation is barreling toward Thursday floor votes absent an official price tag.
“No one has had time to determine the source for this funding,” GOP Assemblymember Dianne Dixon remarked during Wednesday’s appropriations hearing.
Millie Yan of the Department of Finance told members, “This is a rapidly evolving matter we will keep evaluating as developments emerge.” She noted the secretary of state will forward funds to the counties.
GOP members kept pressing Democrats on cost at Wednesday’s committee sessions.
Assembly Republican David Tangipa told the panel, “I still haven’t received one answer on how the dollars will arrive, the required amount, and any solid cost projections. I’m merely asking: can we do it, and do we have revenue given the anticipated deficit next year?”
Democrats stood firm. “When we weigh the expense of a special election against the price of our democracy, or the costs Californians are already bearing to prop up this corrupt administration, those amounts appear justifiable now,” Assemblymember Isaac Bryan countered.
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who leads the assembly appropriations committee, informed KGO-TV’s Monica Madden that the election outlay is estimated at $230 million, even as finance officials say calculations remain unfinished.
The measure itself provides no explicit total cost figure.
California Republicans said Wednesday they are forwarding a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and to the federal prosecutors in this state, requesting a possible federal probe into the origins of the proposed new congressional districts and the methods used to craft them.
The missive, obtained by KGO-TV, claims—citing local news stories—that some Democratic lawmakers tailored districts to help themselves and may have conditioned support on receiving favorable lines.
ABC News has not independently verified those reports.
At a Sacramento press conference Wednesday, Assemblymember Carl DeMaio portrayed the Democratic redistricting effort as tainted.
“This abuse must cease; if the politicians won’t retreat, a federal investigation may compel them to honor their oaths and abide by federal statutes and ethical standards,” DeMaio declared.
Reacting to the corruption accusation, Democratic Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire told ABC News, “Republican leaders in California show staggering hypocrisy. They’re kowtowing to Donald Trump’s campaign to tilt the 2026 elections. California Republicans should aim their fire at Trump and Texas, who triggered this entire situation; they’re the genuine culprits. Under California’s plan, voters retain the final word. It’s a matter of equity.”
Thursday morning, both chambers will convene to debate and vote on all three bills that together form the “Election Rigging Response Act.”
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
