The bill is scheduled to hit the California legislature's election committee on Tuesday, then the appropriations committee Wednesday. If it passes those committees, a full vote by both houses will need to happen by Thursday to meet California's secretary of state deadline to get the initiative on a Nov. 4 special election ballot.

Democrats have proposed a new congressional map for California that could offset Republican efforts to redistrict in Texas, giving the party a chance at five new Democratic House seats in the Golden State.

A person holds a sign, as protesters begin lining the area near the House chamber before a session as Democratic lawmakers, who left the state to deny Republicans the opportunity to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, begin returning to the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, U.S. August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores

Republicans can move ahead with redrawing Texas’ congressional districts now that Democratic lawmakers have returned to the state. Efforts to thwart President Donald Trump’s push to tilt the