By Sophia Bollag, Staff Writer
Sep 4, 2025
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/redistricting-california-democrat-newsom-21027591.php
Shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom first suggested retaliating against Texas’ efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans, California redistricting commissioner Sara Sadhwani threw cold water on the idea.
“In this national context, I can understand the governor’s inclination to want to retaliate,” she told the Chronicle in a July 14 interview. “However, the people of California have made it clear at the ballot that the governor does not have that power.”
A couple of weeks later, Sadhwani changed her tune. She’s now one of the top spokespeople for Newsom’s campaign to redraw California’s congressional seats in favor of Democrats, even starring in one of the campaign’s ads.
Sadhwani is one of several high-profile voices on elections and democracy who have softened or changed their tone as Newsom’s redistricting campaign took shape. The shifts illustrate how quickly the effort went from a vague idea floated by Newsom to a full-fledged campaign and how rapidly the governor consolidated support as more conservative states moved to redraw their maps. They have also sparked some confusion and provided fodder for opponents.
Sadhwani made her initial comments to the Chronicle before Newsom settled on his plan to take the redistricting issue to voters. Initially, he suggested that state lawmakers could simply redraw maps on their own. He’s since abandoned that idea in favor of a Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50.
“I couldn’t envision it,” Sadhwani told the Chronicle in a follow-up interview Wednesday. “Redistricting tends to be such an esoteric, wonky part of the democratic process that I didn’t realize that he would move forward with a special election.”