Proposition 50
(Gerrymandering in Texas and California)
Prop 50 is on the ballot next week. I voted yes by mail this week.
What it does:
· Temporarily repeals Prop 20 (as it applies to the voting lines for Congressional Districts), which set up an independent state redistricting commission, until after the 2030 election.
· Sets the redistricting lines for the California House elections of 2026, 2028 and 2030.
What will be its impacts?
It moves Democratic leaning voters into the districts of five incumbent Republican Congresspersons: LaMalfa, Kiley, Valadao, Calvert and Issa. Ultimately, the voters in all the newly drawn districts will decide who they want to represent them.
Why I voted “yes”.
Trump asked Texas to redistrict in the middle of the decade because he believed he would lose control of the House in the next election since his policies have become so unpopular with the national electorate as they have tilted the economic playing field so drastically towards the uber wealthy. Democratic elected officials in Texas left the state to try to block Trump and Governor Abbott. Texas’ GOP dominated House and Senate complied with Trump’s highly unusual request, and redistricted Texas House Districts to give the Texas GOP a good shot at winning five more seats in Congress. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom responded saying that if Texas went ahead, California would respond in kind to put five Republican House seats at risk. Prop 50 is that response.
California has made huge progress in covering what used to be 7.5 million uninsured Californians. Trump, the House GOP, and the Senate GOP has put all our gains in expanding health coverage at risk by cutting Medicaid eligibility and increasing the amounts citizen subscribers must pay for their health coverage in the Exchanges. It appears there are no “John McCain’s” remaining in the GOP Congressional delegations, and we are all the worse for it.
California is a state of hard-working immigrant families who contribute vastly to our state’s large and growing economy. Trump and ICE have waged unremitting war in our cities and farms on hard working immigrants. House GOP members have done nothing (less than nothing) to reign in this terror campaign on our state’s immigrant communities.
California is a major trading partner with Mexico, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, which contributes greatly to our state’s growing economy. Trump has imposed huge tariffs on our trading partners without seeking any approval from Congress. California’s House GOP membership has not uttered so much as a feeble peep of protest. Are they standing up for Californians, are they so cowed by Trump, or are they simply his loyal acolytes, even when he is making egregious economic decisions without any Congressional authorization at all. By the way, the Constitution is absolutely explicit that Congress, not the President, has the duty and responsibility to decide on tariffs.
References:
https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/50.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_California_Proposition_50
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=50&year=2025
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61463
https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/05/tariffs-california-ports/
https://www.bayareaeconomy.org/report/economic-impact-of-mass-deportation-in-california/