California governor forges ahead with redistricting plan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday argued Golden State voters should have the chance this November to respond to what he says are President Donald Trump’s attempts to rig the 2026 election.

Speaking at a Sacramento County Cal Fire facility, Newsom said that the president is seeking to rewrite the rules midgame. The governor claimed that Trump realizes Republicans will lose in November 2026, leading him to contact Texas Governor Greg Abbott and push him to redraw congressional district lines to favor his party.

“They’ve got a lot of experience doing this,” Newsom said.

Trump has said he’d like five new Republican-controlled seats in Texas, a move that could solidify Republicans’ slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. It also led Newsom last week to meet with Democratic Texas lawmakers and talk about his own plan for California’s districts.

Newsom followed up on that plan Thursday during a press conference about Cal Fire’s new fleet of Firehawk helicopters.

The governor said he’s currently working toward a decision on a special election, which likely would occur in early November. By then, proposed congressional maps would be available for review. Voters would be asked to consider the prevailing circumstances when casting their ballots.

California currently uses a citizens redistricting commission to draw its congressional lines. However, Newsom said Trump’s attempts to game the system require California to act.

“I am not going to sit back and continue to watch Donald Trump wreak havoc over the rule of law,” he said.

The new maps, if approved by voters, would remain in play until 2030, the governor said.

Asked about the cost of a special election, Newsom noted that some local governments already have questions planned for a November vote.

“That’s now being scoped out with that consideration,” Newsom said. “There’s too much at stake.”

The governor also hammered Trump for his federalization of the National Guard in the wake of Los Angeles protests against immigration enforcement. He questioned how much money that mobilization wasted and the number of months guardsmen were removed from their regular duties.

Some of those duties include fentanyl interdiction and firefighting.

“This is what’s at stake with redistricting,” Newsom said.

While the governor fielded questions about a possible special election, he appeared at Cal Fire’s aviation management unit to hail the final purchase of a Firehawk helicopter. This final purchase brings the state’s ownership of its Firehawk helicopter fleet to 16.

The helicopters are superior to the state’s older Huey version. The Firehawks have a second engine, can carry much more water and can operate at night.

“Moving faster and farther across the state of California,” said Joe Tyler, Cal Fire’s director.

Christina Curry, chief deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, emphasized the need for Californians and the state to remain prepared for disasters, regardless of what form they take.

She pointed to a Thursday morning earthquake near Rialto in Southern California that reached a magnitude of 4.3. She also pointed to Tuesday’s tsunami warning that stemmed from a major earthquake near Russia.

“We have to stay ahead,” Curry said. “That’s what today is about.”

According to Newsom, the plan to obtain 16 Firehawk helicopters was two decades in the making. Cal Fire deployed some of them during the devastatingJanuary wildfires in Los Angeles County. Despite the destruction those fires delivered, they would have been worse without the helicopters.

That thread led Newsom back to Trump, whom the governor said eliminated $450 million in vegetation management grants in his Big Beautiful Bill — the controversial tax-and-spend legislation passed into law early this month.

Newsom repeated a dig he’s given the president before, saying Trump truly believes people should rake forests as part of fire prevention.

“I’ll remind you, we never received a rake and all we received were cuts,” Newsom added.