FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2025
Contact: Denise Aquino
Communications Associate
Phone: (213) 269-4639
Email: info@causeusa.org
Los Angeles, CA – The Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE) has submitted official comments regarding the proposed congressional redistricting maps that will appear on the November 4, 2025 special election ballot as Proposition 50 (Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment).
The proposed map, if approved by California voters, builds on 2020 redistricting efforts to strengthen the political voice and influence of Asian American communities. We are excited to see that overall, API communities remain largely intact and, in several districts, gain additional representation. We would also like to thank the authors of “Special Election November 2025: Redistricting and the Consequences for Asian American Voters,” a UCLA policy report, including Natalie Masuoka, for providing an objective and detailed analysis of these new maps and their impact on Asian American voters.
The UCLA report's analysis highlights several key takeaways that are critical to our community's empowerment.
Community Cohesion and Voting Power: The current map includes 10 congressional districts with Asian American CVAP above 20%. The proposed map preserves these districts and generally increases Asian American CVAP where populations are already significant.
Growth in Asian Plurality Districts: The proposed map increases Asian plurality districts from three to five, adding CA-14 (Rep. Eric Swalwell) and CA-15 (Rep. Kevin Mullin) alongside the existing CA-17 (Rep. Ro Khanna), CA-28 (Rep. Judy Chu), and CA-45 (Rep. Derek Tran).
Southern California District Highlights:
CA-28 (Rep. Judy Chu) keeps West San Gabriel Valley cities together, retaining an Asian American plurality of 35% CVAP.
CA-38 (Rep. Linda Sanchez) increases from 20.95% to 26.4% CVAP while keeping Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, and Hacienda Heights intact.
CA-45 (Rep. Derek Tran) rises from 36.9% to 40.8% CVAP, further concentrating Asian American communities.
CD-47 (Rep. Dave Min) increases from 19.3% to 25.3%, representing an additional 33,000 Asian American voters in a district decided by just over 10,000 votes in 2024, emphasizing a critical voting bloc.
Notable Decreases in Asian American CVAP: CD-51 (Rep. Sara Jacobs) will see a decrease from 15.74% to 9.3% CVAP, representing 31,000 Asian American voters, and CD-40 (Rep. Young Kim) will move from 17.36% to 11.6% CVAP, losing approximately 29,000 Asian American voters. While neither district is among the 10 with the largest Asian American populations, these reductions meaningfully diminish the community’s political influence in each district, which is regrettable.
We also emphasize the importance of voter outreach and education efforts for the upcoming special election. In particular, we call attention to the need for in-language information to API communities. Voters impacted by these changes deserve clear information about any changes resulting from the proposed maps to ensure participation and representation.
CAUSE engaged closely with the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2021 to ensure that API communities remained together (link). We are encouraged that the proposed map continues to honor those efforts and the concerns raised in that process. While current legislative actions seek to modify the maps drawn by the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, we look forward to the return of that body in 2031 and to collaborating with it to continue protecting community representation and voting rights.
For more information, the UCLA Policy Report is available at: https://www.aasc.ucla.edu/resources/policyreports/SpecialElectionsNovember2025.pdf
About CAUSE:
The Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to advancing the civic and political empowerment of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Since 1993, CAUSE has provided leadership development programs, civic education initiatives, and policy advocacy to build a stronger, more inclusive democracy. Learn more at www.causeusa.org.
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