Merced’s election maps will no longer be set by supervisors. Here’s what’s new
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- AB 1441 moves Merced supervisorial redistricting to an 11-member citizens commission.
- The commission bars politicians, staff, recent candidates and lobbyists from serving.
- Commissioners must mirror voter party proportions and adopt maps after public hearings.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month will change the way Merced County’s Board of Supervisors district lines are drawn beginning at the end of 2030.
The bill, by Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, brings sweeping changes to the county’s districting process and will shape future elections for the county’s highest elected offices.
The county’s Board of Supervisors has largely been in opposition to the bill, AB 1441, and has defended its own process for drawing the district lines. Under AB 1441, titled the Merced Fair Elections Act, an independent 11-member Citizens Redistricting Commission will replace the county’s current process for drawing Board of Supervisors district lines.
“The Board looked at (this bill) as something that was another attempt at Sacramento to take away local control,” Supervisor Josh Pedrozo said.
The commission is designed to be insulated from incumbent interests and reflective of the county’s diversity, according to the bill’s text.
“(The bill) sought to accomplish two things: move the redistricting process out of the hands of individuals already in office and/or running for those supervisorial seats- and to place the responsibility in the hands of a body that would prioritize grouping communities of common interest into the same district,” Brody Fernandez, Communications Director for Soria, said via email.
The commission must be seated by Dec. 31, 2030, following a public hearing process.
How things worked before AB 1441
Under prior practice, the Board of Supervisors adopted its own district maps after public outreach. The board held multilingual meetings, workshops and used online tools to generate dozens of public-submitted maps, according to Pedrozo.
Residents did not vote on the maps, and the board would approve a map following a hearing process.
“We went above and beyond to make sure that we were fair, transparent, and open, and that we recognized that everybody had a difference of opinion,” Pedrozo said of the county’s process.
“At the end of the day, Merced County and the Board of Supervisors did everything that was asked of them. We were very transparent,” he said.
How things will work with AB 1441 signed into law
Starting with the 2030 redistricting process, Merced’s district lines will be drawn by 11 county residents and not the Board of Supervisors. Politicians, their staff, high-level county officials, lobbyists, and recent candidates cannot serve on the new redistricting commission.
The commissioners on the redistricting commission must have party preferences reflective of the proportion of registered voters in Merced County. Following a round of hearings and public meetings in each supervisorial district, the commission will vote on the final map for the next decade.
“Merced County will now have an independent citizens redistricting commission that is chosen by their own community members,” Soria said in a news release. “The new law will allow the residents of Merced to ensure their communities and interests are reflected in the districts used for their elections.”
Fernandez says the bill takes an approach that has already been successful in San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, Orange, and Sacramento counties.
“The redistricting commission builds on the lessons learned from past commissions and follows models that have been successful in creating a balanced process that reflects the desires of the residents of Merced County,” Fernandez said.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 2:29 PM.
