SACRAMENTO, CA -- Today, a citizens' initiative was filed with the California Attorney General to reinstate the California Citizens Redistricting Commission's Congressional Districts in 2028. The “Fair, Independent, and Nonpartisan Redistricting Act” (FAIR) will appear on the November 2026 ballot if enough signatures are gathered.
“Under our constitutional amendment, the gerrymandered districts drawn by the State Legislature will be used for one election cycle then go away, as was promised,” said James V. Lacy, the measure's lead proponent. “The districts that were drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission after the last census will be restored for the remainder of the decade.”
While Prop. 50 was approved yesterday, polls clearly show that Californians oppose gerrymandering and want districts to be drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, not be Sacramento politicians.
"Gavin Newsom sold Prop. 50 to voters on the promise it would be temporary. This initiative is the insurance that his promise is kept,” said political consultant Dave Gilliard.
In order to qualify for the November 2026 ballot, 874,641 valid signatures will have to be collected and filed with county election offices.
The measure’s lead proponent, Orange County attorney James V. Lacy, is the author of “Taxifornia“ and a frequent media commentator. Lacy has been lead counsel in federal and state court litigation on First Amendment public policy issues. Lacy was appointed by the Board of Governors of the California State Bar to the Committee on Federal Courts (1995-98). He has also served as a Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States. Previously, Lacy served in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush as Chief Counsel for Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1989-91 and served in the Reagan Administration as General Counsel to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (1987-89). In 1978, Lacy was a co-founding director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, with California’s Proposition 13 author, the late Howard Jarvis.
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