California’s Texas-thwarting gerrymander has swiftly transformed from fantasy to reality. Democrats in the House and the state Legislature are coalescing around a plan to draw a half-dozen Republican incumbents into oblivion — and persuade California voters to approve the new congressional maps before next year’s midterms.

California Democrats are weighing new political maps that could slash five Republican-held House seats in the liberal-leaning state while bolstering Democratic incumbents in other