Editor's Note: This effort was born out of family members and friends looking for advice about the oftentimes confusing ballot measures in California. It was once just a personal email list and now it has moved to SubStack where folks can opt in to receive a ballot guide before California elections, as well as have a site to visit to reference the measures. Feel free to share with friends and family if you find this helpful, and please unsubscribe without hesitation (no feelings will be hurt!) if you don't.
I do this to help people engage and take part in the process while offering my own viewpoints on the issues, but politics is very personal so if this helps you reach your vote by disagreeing with me, that's great too! Also note that this is not intended to be a complete analysis, so if you feel passionately about one of the measures I encourage you to dig in. Above all, participate in the process, a lot of people lived and died to give you that right and it's your most powerful tool for change.
Proposition 50: Redistricting
Redistricting is one of those topics that puts people to sleep immediately, so I’ll try to be brief and be concise here, stick with me!
Quick history: In 2008, CA voters passed the Voters First Act which created the California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, an independent commission that good government proponents lauded as a way to end political gerrymandering of districts. Read: politicians can’t change voter districts to give their party an advantage.
Why we are here: This past Summer, Texas lawmakers gerrymandered their congressional districts at President Trump’s request to get rid of 5 Democratic controlled seats. Read: politicians changed voting districts to make sure 5 Democratic seats would include enough new Republican voters to swing those seats to Republicans.
Prop 50: Because California has an independent redistricting commission, politicians can’t just vote to change lines like they did in Texas. Enter Prop 50. This would allow the CA legislature to temporarily change our district lines so that 5 Republican held seats in California would be severely weakened and likely flip to Democrats, a move designed to counter Texas’ move to gain 5 seats. This would last 3 election cycles through 2030, after which the commission would be empowered again to independently review and update district maps per usual.
My take: I hate what Texas did. It is bad government and the epitome of political garbage that prioritizes politics over good government. However, I do not think CA should follow Trump and Texas Republicans into the gutter on this. Yes, Democrats may lose seats in the House, but they will retain their values. Instead, I think Democrats should focus their attention on pushing a national ban on mid-decade redistricting like this so that no one can do it. A dream would be a national mandate for independent redistricting commissions in every state.
Voters can’t be pawns in politicians’ gambits for power, it is wrong no matter the party that is pursuing it and though it may hurt Democrats in the short term here, I firmly believe sticking to their values will help them in the long run and give them leverage in a national conversation about redistricting reform.
No on Proposition 50.
Respectfully disagree- must play by the new rules - Initiative states that it would revert back to independent redistricting.