OBITUARY: Donald Lincoln Ziegenfuss, 1930-2025

LoCO Staff / Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025 @ 6:56 a.m. / Obits

Donald Lincoln Ziegenfuss — “Ziggy” — was born July 10, 1930, in Berkeley and passed away on April 29, 2025 in Eureka.  

Ziggy graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in business.  In his early years, he served as a transit operator in the Bay Area, Army Reserves for 28 years, and retired from the State of California Public Utilities Commission after 32 years of service where he was active in SEIU union representation and advocacy.  He was a volunteer serving the Eureka community for many years at St. Joseph Hospital, Eureka Elks Lodge, Rotary Club of Eureka, Humboldt Masons Lodge, Arcata Masons Six Rivers Lodge, and Eureka’s Redwood Shrine Club and Livermore’s AAHMES Shriners organizations.  He was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Eureka and American Legion organization. His countless hours of benevolent service all the way into his 90’s benefited numerous individuals, including the Rotary’s weekly backpack for kids program.

He was predeceased by his wife Johnnie Ruth, his parents Wilfred and Edna, brother “Little Wilfred” George and sister Ellen Smith.  He is survived by his niece Shelly Smith and nephews Marty and Jeff Smith and their families and also by his three stepdaughters, Diane Dillard, Debra Launey, and Cynthia Coppage and their children: Matt, Ginna, Kyle, Lauren, and Shelby and their children.

Along with “Ruthie,” Ziggy’s favorite things to do were to cook and entertain and collect toys for donation to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Sacramento. He loved to volunteer at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, help fill bags weekly at the backpack for kids events with his Rotary member friends and drive his 1968 Buick flag car and the mini car with his Shriners friends in local parades.

A very special thank you to staff with Visiting Angels, Timber Ridge at Eureka and Hospice of Humboldt for their daily support and loving care of Ziggy in his last year on earth. It is amazing what they do!

A community memorial service will be held at the Six Rivers Masonic Lodge on Monday, August 11th at 2 p.m., 251 Bayside Road, Arcata. A private burial was held in May at the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery in Sacramento, California.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hospice of Humboldt, Rotary Club of Eureka’s backpack for kids program, and Shriner’s Hospital for Children of Northern California (in Sacramento).

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Donald Ziegenfuss’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.


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HUMBOLDT HISTORY: Remembering ‘Shipwreck,’ King Salmon’s Weird, Nautical-Themed Roadside Attraction

Glen Nash / Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025 @ 7:30 a.m. / History

The “Shipwreck” Seven Seas measured 30 feet wide by 200 feet long; bottom, these items were among the many featured in the Shipwreck Museum, c. 1970. Photo via the Humboldt Historian.

After 28 years of existence, at 5 a.m. on April 12, 1989, a fire brought the end to a project a man and his friends had put an enormous amount of time, money and energy into, hoping it would be a successful enterprise.

Sometime during 1960, Jim Turk sat idle after breakfast one morning. While doodling with a pencil on a piece of paper, he made a drawing of a ship. He loved ships and, in the past, had made many models. An idea came to him: It would be a wonderful tourist attraction to have a ship here on land that people could visit. The idea was well suited to Humboldt Bay, as there had been many wooden ships built here. He was also convinced that there should be fish on display along with this ship, as the bay was also a great fishing port.

He explained his idea to a friend, Mel Pinkham, who in turn brought in Lamone Call. Both thought their friend Jim had come up with a great idea. This ship was to be a tourist attraction, complete with coffee shop, gift shop, museum, aquarium and seal pool.

They talked to Ben McWhorter and Harold Barnard of Hollander’s Jewelry, both of whom went along with the idea. The men held several meetings and decided to go ahead with the project. As an initial step, they incorporated as “Shipwreck Incorporated.” To finance it, they each put up $25,000 for starters. Jim Turk was named general manager and was given a share as promoters stock, a fair enough move considering as the whole thing was his idea.

Lamone Call and Chauncey Gould owned land near King Salmon which they sold to the men. The 11 acres went for $1,500 each and were considered an ideal location.

Map by Andrew Goff.

They hired local architect Bill Van Fleet to make some sketches. They also brought in a fine building contractor, Ole Antonsen, to design and build this “ship” which had been wrecked. It measured 30 feet wide by 200 feet long and required that very heavy floating concrete foundation be poured. Actual building of the project began in the early part of 1961. The men contacted a good plumbing contractor, Calvin Wilson, to do all the necessary pipe work—a complicated and very big job. Chester The North Pacific octopus greeted visitors to the sight of the “Shipwreck.” Brown was hired to take care of the electrical part of this job, and the firm of Dunbar and Batich agreed to do the painting. These contractors were very good at their trades and were well established in the community, having enjoyed excellent reputations through the years.

Jim Turk and Calvin Wilson, the plumber, traveled from Seattle, Wash., to San Diego, Calif., to visit every known aquarium or similar business. Harold Barnard visited the San Diego Zoo, in an effort to learn the proper way to install the necessary piping, pumps and tanks they might need. He also studied the proper materials needed to handle the amount of salt sea water required for this building project (salt water is very corrosive and must be kept at just the right temperature, making it very difficult to handle). The sea water had to be run through filters, which had to be cleaned regularly—no small job. The fiberglass fish tanks were custom-made in Vancouver, Wash. The glass in front of the fish tanks was made special for this purpose—extra strong, very expensive. The 10 fish tanks, each holding 750 gallons of sea water, required a total of 7,500 gallons of sea water to be run through the filters every day.

The restaurant was located on the top deck, thereby offering a view of Humboldt Bay. The gift shop and viewing area for the aquarium were below deck, while the restrooms were in the stern of the ship, below deck.

After several months work, the ship was finally ready for masts and rigging. The team hired Humboldt Gates to design and install this partof the job, and a wonderful job he did. Three tall masts were installed in the ship, each with four cross-arms made of aluminum pipes. The long mast was located near the deck, while the remaining graduated to shorter lengths. At one time replicas of sails were hoisted along with flags, painting a very pretty picture on Humboldt Bay.

In the front of the ship, in what resembled a large rock, supplies were kept. A building in the rear housed all the pumps, filters and other machinery needed to operate this facility. Turk purchased a mobile home for his personal living quarters and parked it on the bay side of the ship. His father-in-law, Charles Barrows, also lived and worked at the site.

The seals played in the seal pond and proved to be the most popular attraction. Photo via the Humboldt Historian.

The seal ponds were located in front of the ship, complete with walks for tourists to watch and feed the playful seals. The seals proved to be one of the best attractions, as everyone loved to watch the playful creatures.

The seal pond was about 80 feet long by 12 feet wide. It ran seven feet deep on one end, tapering up to the other. The pool held 10,000 gallons of sea water and was called Pirate’s Cove. Children loved rowing about in a small row boat in the “cove.”

Ben McWhorter, an experienced pilot with his own airplane, along with Jim Turk, flew along the coast and found a seal rookery north of Fort Bragg. The rookery was located about five miles north of Rockport, at Usai in Mendocino County. The two men then rented a fishing boat as well as the services of two skin-divers. The divers went on the beach where the seals were, captured a few young seal pups and put them into sacks. The pups were brought “home” to the Shipwreck, where they were placed in the seal pond and provided with good care and plenty of food. The seal pond was always of great interest to the Top, public.

It was soon found that a great many seals were making their home right here in Humboldt Bay. Eventually, most of the seal pups were captured in south Humboldt Bay with the use of nets. These young seals were kept in a fenced area adjoining the Shipwreck where they were fed several times a day and given vitamins to keep them in good health. Many people wanted to purchase a seal or two, which led to a very profitable business for Jim Turk. He did come to capture and sell seals to many zoos and aquariums around the country.

The octopus, a very touchy and difficult animal to keep even under the right water conditions, also lived at the Shipwreck. This particular octopus was reputed to be one of the largest in captivity with a 19-foot span. Likewise, there, were many different fish that had to be provided with just the right food and proper care as Shipwreck residents.

The large parking area out in front was graded and graveled, in fine shape with room for 100 cars.

When the Shipwreck was completed, at a cost of approximately $250,000, the ship gleamed white with brown trim. Christened the Seven Seas, a grand opening was held in September 1961.

About the time the project was completed, the California Dept. of Transportation (Cal-Trans) decided to work on Highway 101 for several weeks, right in front of the Shipwreck; this did not help with the opening. However, the Shipwreck apparently took off and, during one of the first years, 90,000 people registered in attendance.

During its heyday there were some 20 full- and part-time employees, many of whom were students who wanted to learn something of this work and needed a part-time job.

During 1969, Lady Bird Johnson came up with a bill to remove all signs along the highways that were placed there after 1960. This action put a damper on attendance at the Shipwreck, as 38 of the signs had to be removed from Cloverdale in the south, to Crescent City in the north. As soon as signs were removed, attendance fell off drastically because tourists could not notice the Shipwreck without the signs to indicate its location. In the early part of 1971, Gary Barnard painted the exterior of the ship a bright yellow, in hopes of attracting tourists.

In 1972, the owners decided to close the Shipwreck for a time until they could decide what to do about rising costs. With no one there to look out for it, the Shipwreck became a haven for transients and teenagers who covered the walls with graffiti. Vandals soon moved in, breaking into the buildings, chopping holes in the roof, breaking the glass, tearing down the rigging, stealing fixtures and fittings, sleeping on the premises and building fires. The Fire Department was called to the scene many times. The weeds grew, the wind, sun and rain did their work and the place, in general, seemed to fall apart.

Then came the final day: April 12, 1989 …

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The story above was originally printed in the September-October 1993 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

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[Ed. — The photo gallery below, by the Outpost’s Andrew Goff, shows you what remains of Shipwreck today.]



As the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Winds Itself Down, KEET-TV Cancels its Flagship Local News Program

Hank Sims / Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 @ 4:32 p.m. / Media

Image via KEET Facebook.

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PREVIOUSLY:

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Two not-unrelated items in the news today.

  1. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, once the country’s clearinghouse for the public funding of public television and public radio, is closing up shop, following its financial evisceration in the Big, Beautiful Bill.
  2. Our local PBS station, KEET-TV, has, as of today, canceled its weekly news broadcast — Headline Humboldt, presented by former Times-Standard reporter and Outpost contributor James Faulk. Tonight’s show will be the last.

KEET has been hurting very badly for the last few months, as our Ryan Burns explored in detail a couple of weeks ago. Not only has half its funding instantly evaporated, but it’s been off the broadcast airwaves for quite a while now, having suffered damage to its transmitter.

Headline Humboldt was kind of a throwback program, in which Faulk ran down the news of the week in a Cronkite-ish fashion and then held a conversation with some local newsmaker or another. Faulk brought some energy to the thing. It’s sad to see it go.

If you want to tune into tonight’s final program, it’ll livestream on KEET’s YouTube channel starting at 7 p.m. Faulk’s guest will be Eric Kirk, a local attorney and omnipresent political commentator. 

KEET is looking very shaky, but here’s hoping Faulk keeps going in some fashion or another. The truth is out there.



We Got Panicky Alerts and Wacky Flood Maps. So How Do We Improve Humboldt County’s Tsunami Warning System?

Isabella Vanderheiden / Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 @ 2:53 p.m. / Earthquake , Emergencies

Screenshot of the tsunami warning Humboldt County residents received on Wednesday night.

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Hours after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, emergency alerts sounded on phones across Humboldt County, warning coastal residents to evacuate to higher ground in response to a potential tsunami threat. The alert, issued at 8:28 p.m. on Wednesday, was the third and most urgent in a series of escalating emergency alerts.

“A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you,” the tsunami warning stated. “You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.”

Not long after the alert was issued, local authorities attempted to downplay the tsunami warning on social media, referring to it as an “advisory” rather than a “warning” in an apparent attempt to ease concern among anxious residents. A Facebook post from the Eureka Police Department said the tsunami warning was “sent out in error” and was “meant for Del Norte County only,” causing confusion in the comment section.

Ryan Aylward, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Eureka, told the Outpost that the alert was issued intentionally, but said at no point were local officials expecting inundation outside of the tidal zone.

“Honestly, it was confusing for us too because we didn’t know where exactly the threat was,” Aylward said in a recent phone interview. “We knew that the tsunami wave height for Humboldt Bay was going to be about a foot, so we weren’t expecting waves to exceed the normal tidal area. But, after the warning went out, we talked to the local Office of Emergency Services, and they wanted to emphasize in the messaging that Humboldt County is not in a dangerous situation and people don’t need to evacuate, but they should avoid beachfronts and harbors.”

As predicted, the tsunami that arrived at our shores just before midnight was measured at about 1.2 feet — well within the threshold for a tsunami advisory — with no reported damage to the Humboldt Bay area. Our neighbors up in Crescent City didn’t fare so well, with local officials reporting up to $1 million in damages after three- to four-foot waves battered the city’s harbor.

Understanding the Tsunami Warning System

When an earthquake strikes, staff at the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) in Alaska rapidly analyze seismic data to determine whether or not a tsunami is possible and, if so, when and where it will occur.

“They’re trying to analyze what type of earthquake it was, how deep it was and trying to get that exact magnitude to understand the tsunami threat,” Aylward explained. “Once they have an idea of the magnitude and have confirmation that the earthquake generated a tsunami, the [NTWC] analyzes data from the buoys out in the ocean and creates a model to determine the approximate wave height forecast for the West Coast.”

Graphic: National Tsunami Warning Center

As more data comes in, the NTWC runs the model again and again to get a better estimate of the wave size and the duration of the tsunami. They also look at the region’s history of tsunamis. In this case, staff determined the tsunami would exceed the warning threshold for several “small pockets” on the North Coast.

“They made the decision [to issue] a tsunami warning for Crescent City — that wasn’t even a question — but they decided to pull [it] as far south as Cape Mendocino … because of a spot right around Trinidad that was [expected to] exceed the threshold, which is just over three feet,” Aylward continued. “For most areas in Humboldt County, it was advisory, but there were some small pockets — like that spot up near Trinidad and other remote areas up in northern Humboldt — that could exceed the threshold. So, that’s how we ended up with a warning.”

In the hours leading up to the tsunami’s arrival time, the NTWC held hourly briefings with local and state authorities, including the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Humboldt OES, the California Geological Survey and NWS. If waves aren’t expected to exceed the advisory threshold, local jurisdictions are empowered to make their own decisions on which areas of the county are notified, said Humboldt OES Program Manager Ryan Derby. However, that process changes when a tsunami alert is upgraded to a warning.

“In those cases, the NTWC issues Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) to jurisdictions within the tsunami warning scope, without prior notification to the impacted jurisdiction,” Derby wrote via email. “Their ability to issue WEAs is at a countywide level, which prevents their ability to notify smaller subsets of a county. This results in the entire county receiving WEAs from the NTWC when only a small portion of the county may experience warning-level impacts.”

It’s a delicate balance. While it’s generally best to err on the side of caution, an emergency alert urging residents to evacuate immediately can incite panic and chaos. Remember that 7.0-magnitude earthquake we had last December? Before the shaking had even stopped, a siren-like tsunami warning emitted from our phones, prompting hundreds — perhaps thousands — of Humboldt County residents to evacuate their homes and offices, gridlocking traffic on Highway 101 and the Samoa Bridge.

After the disorganized response, Humboldt OES, in partnership with the Eureka NWS and the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group, held a countywide tsunami evacuation drill to practice proper evacuation procedures. Still, comprehensive education around disaster preparedness is lacking.

‘One Size Doesn’t Fit All’

Reflecting on this week’s emergency response, Derby emphasized that every incident is different, particularly when it comes to earthquakes and tsunamis. That’s why it’s so important for residents to familiarize themselves with the tsunami hazard map — linked here — and to listen to guidance from local emergency officials.

“The main takeaway is that for near or local earthquakes, when strong and/or long-duration shaking occurs, the earthquake is the community’s warning,” he said. “We must treat every tsunami advisory and/or warning seriously and trust the guidance of local officials until an ‘all-clear’ message is provided. Complacency to these situations can result in truly devastating impacts to the community and people’s lives.”

Still, there’s room for improvement, he said. Take the NTWC and NWS mapping system, for example. The map below, which was used in several advisories and warnings issued by the NWS, depicts the weather forecast zone for the Humboldt County coast, not the tsunami hazard zone.

Image via Eureka NWS

“While the NTWC alerts and their automated process are in place to provide for public safety, and community members should absolutely pay attention to those alerts, the best advice we can provide is to follow the guidance and direction of local emergency officials,” Derby said. “Local emergency information takes into account the nuances of our specific threat landscape, community makeup and emergency actions that residents and visitors should take.”

Lori Dengler, emeritus professor of geology at Cal Poly Humboldt, agreed, adding that emergency officials “need to do a better job of identifying and forecasting impacts.” She also suggested that the NTWC and NWS implement tiers for different levels of tsunami warnings.

“One size doesn’t fit all,” Dengler told the Outpost. “Right now, we only have one level of tsunami warning  — anything between three feet and over 100 feet. Our tsunami maps are based on our worst-case threat — an earthquake the size of Kamchatka or the 2011 Japan quake happening right here. … But most tsunamis are far smaller than this and we need to follow Japan’s lead and have two or three levels of tsunami warning: moderate, large, enormous. That way, we could be more precise in describing the areas likely to be impacted.”

Dengler also suggested that the NTWC and NWS change the terminology for tsunami alerts because residents might not know the difference between a watch, advisory and warning. “[P]eople need to know what to do on their own.”

Aylward said the NWS office is working to improve and refine the local mapping system and reduce the scale of the emergency alert system.

“Currently, the wireless emergency alert system goes out to the entire county [when there is a tsunami alert],” he said. “People out in Hoopa received it even though, of course, there was no tsunami danger out there. We’re trying to narrow the [alert] area.”

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Not sure if your house is located in the tsunami zone? Check out the state’s interactive Tsunami Hazard Area Map at this link.

Additional tsunami safety resources

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Do you know your zone? (Tsunami zone depicted in yellow.) | Screenshot of the Tsunami Hazard Area Map.

[NOTE: This post has been updated to include additional safety resources.]



Indianola Cutoff Traffic Stop End With Two Arrested on Suspicion of Dealing Meth and Fentanyl

LoCO Staff / Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 @ 1:41 p.m. / Crime

K-9 Yahtzee with seized narcotics and paraphernalia | HCSO


Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office release:

On July 31, 2025, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO)  deputies conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 101 near the Indianola Cutoff for a vehicle  code violation. This traffic stop led to the arrest of two individuals and the seizure of a  substantial quantity of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine, underscoring HCSO’s  commitment to combating the opioid crisis in Humboldt County. 

Deputies identified the driver as Aaron Gore Stott, 46, of McKinleyville, a known suspect in  multiple recent narcotics investigations. These investigations include two separate narcotics related warrants served at his residence leading to the arrest of multiple narcotics offenders. 

The passenger was identified as Andreas Sala McDaniel, 65, of Eureka. During the stop, deputies  observed a clear plastic baggie containing suspected fentanyl on Stott’s person, prompting his  immediate detention. 

An HCSO K9 handler and his partner, Yahtzee, were on scene shortly after the traffic stop was  initiated. K9 Yahtzee was deployed and alerted to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle,  leading to a search that uncovered approximately 76 grams of suspected methamphetamine and  fentanyl, along with a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, and a stun gun.  

Stott and McDaniel were arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on  multiple charges, including: 

  • Health and Safety Code § 11352(a): Transportation or sale of controlled substances
  • Health and Safety Code § 11378: Possession for sale of methamphetamine
  • Health and Safety Code § 11379(a): Transportation for sale of controlled substances
  • Health and Safety Code § 11395: Unlawful sale or furnishing of controlled substances
  • Penal Code § 22610: Unlawful possession of a stun gun by a felon or addict
  • Penal Code § 12022.1: Felony committed while released on bail or own recognizance 

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office remains steadfast in its efforts to disrupt the distribution of  illicit narcotics, particularly fentanyl, which poses a severe threat to public safety. HCSO notes  that under current California law, possession of fentanyl is often classified as a “non-violent”  offense, which can result in repeat offenders being released from jail by Superior Court Judges to  appear in court at a future date and time. The Sheriff’s Office encourages community members to  stay informed about the dangers of fentanyl and to support efforts to strengthen public safety  measures.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the  Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at  (707) 268-2539.




David Lindberg, Local Water District Board Member, Killed in Motorcycle Collision With a Deer on Hwy. 36

Ryan Burns / Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 @ 10:10 a.m. / News

David Lindberg. | Photo via the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District.

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PREVIOUSLY: Motorcycle Accident on Highway 36 Results in Rider Fatality 

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David Lindberg, a local geologist and longtime active member of local government and community organizations, has been identified as the victim in yesterday’s fatal motorcycle collision with a deer on Hwy. 36.

Lindberg was in the midst of serving a four-year term as the Division 3 representative on the board of directors for the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. 

Here’s the press release from the California Highway Patrol:

Trinity County, California – On Thursday, July 31, 2025, at approximately 1417 hours [2:17 p.m.], the Redding Communications Center received reports of a solo motorcycle crash on State Route 36 near mile post marker 33.8.

Officers from the CHP, Trinity River Area Office, Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, US Forest Service, Cal-Fire, and Cal-Trans personnel responded to the scene.

Emergency personnel located a 2019 Honda Super Cub C125, on its side, on the north dirt/gravel shoulder of State Route 36. The motorcycle appeared to have collided with a deer, causing the rider to be ejected onto the dirt/gravel shoulder. The rider was later identified as David Lindberg, born in 1954. The rider was wearing a DOT approved motorcycle helmet. DUI or drugs are not considered to be a factor in this traffic crash.

Trinity County Sheriff’s Office is handling the coroner’s investigation. The circumstances of this incident are currently under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, Trinity River Area. Anyone with information pertaining to the incident is asked to contact the Trinity River CHP Office at (530)623-3832.

The California Highway Patrol would like to thank Cal-Fire, Cal-Trans, US-Forest Service, Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, and Trinity Life Support Ambulance for their assistance with this incident.



Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh in on New Congressional Districts in November

Alexei Koseff / Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 @ 6:52 a.m. / Sacramento

The U.S. Capitol. Photo by Pierre Blaché via Pexels.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom is eyeing a special election in the first week of November to ask California voters to sign off on revised U.S. House districts that could boost Democratic prospects in the 2026 midterms.

Though no new seats have been proposed yet, Newsom said Thursday that he is working with the Legislature and congressional representatives on a plan that would temporarily set aside California’s independent redistricting commission and bring an alternative map directly to the public for approval.

“We will go to the people of this state in a transparent way and ask them to consider the new circumstances, to consider these new realities,” Newsom told reporters during a visit to a Sacramento County airfield, where he showed off new state firefighting equipment.

“This is not going to be done in a back room. This is not going to be done by members of some private group or body,” he added. “It’s going to be given to the voters for their consideration in a very transparent way so they know exactly what they’re doing and they can go back in 2030 to original form with our independent redistricting intact.”

It was the most detail the governor has publicly provided so far about how he plans to respond to a burgeoning partisan redistricting war set off by President Donald Trump in recent months.

States last redrew their congressional seats after the 2020 census, to ensure the districts are roughly equal in population, and were not expected to revisit the process for another decade.

But Republican leaders are under growing pressure from Trump to help shore up a narrow GOP majority in Congress ahead of a potentially challenging midterm election. Texas lawmakers are currently rushing to adopt a new congressional map eliminating five Democratic seats, which has sparked similar efforts in other Republican-controlled states and hand-wringing from Democrats about how to counteract it.

Newsom: California must step in

Newsom asserted again Thursday that California must pause independent redistricting, which he has previously supported, to fight a president that “wants to rig the game” against Democrats, who could potentially block Trump’s agenda if they win control of the House in 2026.

“De facto the Trump presidency ends in November of next year if the American people are given a fair chance and a voice and a choice,” Newsom said.

While most other states give redistricting authority to their legislatures, California uses a bipartisan citizen commission created by voters through a ballot measure. So to usurp the commission and implement more Democratic-leaning districts, Newsom must call a statewide special election and go back to the voters.

Democrats currently hold 43 of the state’s 52 House seats, including several competitive districts that flipped from Republican control last November.

The governor said he wants to hold the election on the first Tuesday in November because many communities already have local elections scheduled then. That could make it easier to mount on short notice and help reduce an estimated price tag of more than $200 million — though Newsom also said “there’s too much at stake” to worry about the cost.

“How much did it cost to have the theatrics with the National Guard and Trump?” he said, referring to the president’s recent deployment of thousands of troops in Los Angeles to quell immigration-related protests. “How many hundreds of millions of dollars was wasted?”

The November target gives California an extremely tight window to act. State law requires county elections offices to send a mail ballot to every registered voter a month before election day; military and overseas voter ballots and voter information guides go out 15 days before that. The material would need to be ready by late September to meet those deadlines.

Meanwhile, the Legislature is on summer recess until Aug. 18. The Democratic caucuses of the state Senate and Assembly are expected to begin private discussions next week about advancing a ballot measure, which requires a two-thirds majority in both houses, so that they could potentially pass it before the end of August.

Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, a Healdsburg Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Salinas Democrat, said the Assembly will review its options to counteract Trump’s redistricting scheme and “ensure our government remains fair, transparent and representative of the people.”

“This move is an attempt to silence voters who reject MAGA extremism — including here in California, where the people have spoken loud and clear in two national elections,” Rivas said in a statement.