[Source](https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/08/14/gavin-newsoms-gerrymandering-scheme-just-hit-a-real-snag-n4942692) > California Gov. Gavin Newsom's aggressive campaign to redraw the state's congressional maps has hit a bit of a snag. > As PJ Media readers know, Newsom — clearly auditioning for the 2028 presidential race — has been posturing in response to Texas Republicans’ redistricting efforts by threatening to gerrymander California even more than it already is. The irony seems completely lost on him that his own party has long been the worst offender when it comes to gerrymandering. In reality, Texas Republicans are simply working to level a playing field that Democrats had already rigged in their favor. > How likely is it that Newsom can escalate this redistricting war? Well, it turns out that California’s congressional maps aren’t as easy to tamper with as Gavin Newsom would like you to believe. > Thanks to voter-approved reforms in 2008 and 2010, a 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission — not the state legislature — has exclusive authority over drawing district lines. Additionally, the state's constitution explicitly forbids mid-decade redistricting unless it’s amended. > That means Newsom and his Democrat allies can’t just sit down, cook up a new gerrymandered map, and ram it through. Any change to the commission’s authority or timeline requires amending Article XXI of the state constitution — a process that would involve more than a rubber stamp from the legislature.