The state will still have the largest House of Representatives delegation by far, but as expected, California will lose one seat under the new U.S. Census numbers.
Never before in the 170-year history of the state of California have we lost Congressional seats after a U.S. Census count reappointment. We actually stayed flat in 2010, with 53 members and no gain, but the state had picked up seats in literally every other Census count since California was established in 1850.
Until today. As had been completely expected, U.S. Census Bureau announced the resident population of the country (308.7 million) and the state wide breakdown, and the numbers deem that California will lose one seat in the House of Representatives, according to the Chronicle.
The Census Bureau just released the first #2020Census results, which included the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here are the results 👇 https://t.co/RHvocjkXow #Apportionment #CensusBureau pic.twitter.com/2QuyrHccDJ
— U.S. Census Bureau (@uscensusbureau) April 26, 2021
According to Monday’s announcement from the U.S. Census Bureau, “Texas will gain two seats in the House of Representatives, five states will gain one seat each (Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon), seven states will lose one seat each (California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia), and the remaining states’ number of seats will not change based on the 2020 Census.”
JUST IN: Texas has gained two more votes in Congress and the Electoral College for the next decade — while Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon each gained one seat, based on the first set of results from the 2020 census.https://t.co/2Idj079Te6
— NPR (@NPR) April 26, 2021
Unsurprisingly, everyone from the YIMBYs to the anti-vaxxers to the Recall the SF Dog Catcher movement is declaring this as validation of all of their critiques that the state of the Golden State is every bit as terrible as Fox News makes it sound every night. But in reality, the state population grew by 6.1% over the last 10 years, to about 39.5 million. Yet the national population grew by 7.4%, and we have not kept up with that.
And while Texas will crow as the only state to gain two seats, California will still have 14 more House seats than Texas.
So what part of California loses the seat? Probably not ours.
“Slow growth rates in parts of Los Angeles County mean those regions are likely to see their influence reduced in Sacramento and Washington,” the Chron quotes Rose Institute fellow Douglas Johnson as saying. “Relatively high growth rates in the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Bernardino/Riverside County Inland Empire mean those areas are likely to increase their influence after the 2021 redistricting.”
A supposedly independent 14-member body will figure out the new districts, both for the state legislatures and for the House of Representatives. And hey, look at the bright side. The district they disintegrate might end up being a Republican district.
Related: California May Lose a Congressional Seat After 2020 Census [SFist]
Image: WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 18: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) talks to reporters during her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center September 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. With elections just 45 days away, House Democrats, Senate Republicans and the White House have not announced any progress in negotiations over coronavirus economic relief legislation. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
