Defining voting power for the next decade, the shifting of the United States Congressional Districts is projected to reclassify Santa Clarita as a part of the 27th Congressional District from the 25th Congressional District – a move that is expected to favor democratic representation. 

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) released a revised map on Saturday that would place Santa Clarita in the 27th Congressional District, as opposed to the current 25th Congressional District. 

Santa Clarita, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills remain grouped together on the new map, while gaining Lancaster and removing Simi Valley and Lake Los Angeles, according to the CCRC’s redistricting map. 

Previous drafts of the 27th Congressional District had shown the exclusion of both Simi Valley and Porter Ranch, as opposed to the current draft’s exclusion of just Simi Valley, that could significantly increase the amount of left-leaning votes in congressional elections. 

In the 25th District Congressional Election in 2020, Congressman Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita) won over congressional candidate Christy Smith, but new district boundaries may stifle future republican representation. 

​​“We are confident our message of low taxes and not taking Sacramento dysfunction to Washington has resonated with the voters of California,” Garcia said in a statement issued during his congressional  election in 2020. “This district has been without leadership for far too long, and the people here need a strong independent voice fighting for them in DC, especially during these challenging times.”

See Related: New Los Angeles County Supervisorial District Lines Drawn, Affecting Legislation For The Next Decade

Despite Christy Smith winning Los Angeles County, which includes Santa Clarita, Garcia edged out Smith with almost 6,000 additional votes coming from Simi Valley, a part of Ventura County, according to the 2020 congressional voting records. 

The exclusion of Simi Valley –which historically elects right-leaning candidates– from the Congressional 27th District’s draft could drastically affect future congressional elections and in turn may threaten Garcia’s control of his congressional seat in the next election. 

The 2020 Election and 117th Congress districts map, courtesy of California’s 25th Congressional District. Although California has begun redistricting for the 2022 election, the 2020 districts map remains the correct map to determine who represents each district in Congress until the next election’s winners take office on January 3, 2023.

In terms of how the California State Senate could be affected, Santa Clarita is expected to be shifted to the 23rd District as opposed to their current slot in the 21st District, which would now include Stevenson Ranch to encapsulate the entire valley under Senator Scott Wilk’s (R-Santa Clarita) representation.

The California State Assembly’s proposed map would shift Santa Clarita, excluding Agua Dulce, to the 40th District under the representation of Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita), while Agua Dulce would be shifted to the 34th District under the representation of Tom Lackey (R-Antelope Valley). 

While these maps remain the most recent versions of congressional districting, they have not been officially approved. The final CCRC vote is expected by Dec. 27.

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