“In the middle of a $20 Billion State Budget Crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to waste $250 million of taxpayer money on his scheme to end the non-partisan independent citizens redistricting process we’ve used for years so politicians can manipulate the lines of their districts in elections.” – Carl DeMaio
Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to call a Special Election statewide as soon as this November to cram through an amendment to the state constitution that would allow politicians to manipulate the lines of their districts in elections, thus ending the independent citizens’ redistricting model that California has used for years to keep the process non-partisan and fair.
Today, CA State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio released a cost estimate for a potential special election: $250 million!
“California faces a severe budget crisis and Gavin Newsom and state politicians are slashing programs for the neediest of Californians – so it is outrageous that Newsom thinks wasting $250 million on a corrupt scheme to let politicians manipulate their elections is a good idea,” DeMaio says.
Before being elected to the state legislature in 2024, DeMaio was a nationally recognized expert in government budget and accountability reform.
DeMaio’s $250 million cost estimate for a potential November 2025 election is based on the following methodology:
- The final cost of the statewide 2021 Governor Recall special election was $200,241,680. (See report link below)
- Since 2021, the number of registered voters in California has increased by roughly 800,000, to 22,900,896 as of February 2025. This means more ballots will have to be issued, mailed, and processed.
- Inflation has increased significantly since 2021, with California state and local government salaries and benefits rising by 19%, and postage rates also increasing by 17%.
- DeMaio also expects several lawsuits to be filed related to Newsom’s redistricting scheme, which could force taxpayers to spend $5-10 million in additional fees.
“Gavin Newsom’s shameful attempt to end California’s non-partisan, citizen-led process for redistricting in favor of letting politicians draw their districts is not only unfair and an assault on our democracy, but it is financially irresponsible at a time when we face a serious state budget crisis,” DeMaio concluded.
Reference: CA Secretary of State Report: Gubernatorial Recall Election Costs (February 1, 2022)
https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2021-recall/report-to-legislature.pdf
Total Cost of the September 14, 2021, Gubernatorial Recall Election. As a result of Assembly Bill 128 and Senate Bill 152, $243,583,308.50 was allocated to California’s 58 counties, and $35,000,000 was allocated to the Secretary of State to conduct the September 14, 2021, Gubernatorial Recall Election. The total statewide cost of the gubernatorial recall election was $200,241,680, which includes $174,059,031.11 in county costs and $26,182,649.08 in Secretary of State costs.