Why California voters should reject Prop. 50 and stay out of the redistricting wars

On Nov. 4, California voters will decide whether the state should temporarily adopt a Democratic gerrymander of its congressional maps to combat similar efforts in red states, or choose to stand down. Below, a former redistricting commissioner says Proposition 50 is not the model of responsible government Californians deserve. The opposing view: A member of the latest redistricting commission argues it is shortsighted for Californians to think only about California right now.

In 2008, the Voters First Act created California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, an independent body consisting of people who reflected the state’s diversity. Good government groups pushed the ballot measure forward, seeking to make sure voters were — as the law’s name declared — put first. I served on the first commission two years later.

Voter approval of an independent commission effectively ended the backroom partisan gerrymandering that characterized redistricting in California for decades.

Commission members spent nearly a year drawing new maps, giving citizens access to more than 100 public meetings and different ways to submit written comments. Voters could describe their communities, their environment, their infrastructure and their economy. This gave the commission a picture of the whole of California and helped it create districts that gave voters a fair chance at electing accountable representatives.

California’s commission is now considered the gold standard for U.S. redistricting, free of partisan self-interest and conducted fully in public view.

If only Texas could learn from California. There, lawmakers adopted new maps in August in an attempt to rig the 2026 election in favor of Republicans — at the behest of President Donald Trump. Their actions represent the basest motivations of politicians so fearful of losing power, all they can think to do is cheat.

Their determination to stack the congressional deck prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to pursue retaliatory mid-cycle redistricting in California to elect more Democrats. It’s now in the hands of voters in a special election on Nov. 4. Proposition 50 would replace the maps drawn by the state’s independent commission with districts drawn by legislators solely to gain or protect Democratic seats. And that protection will extend through three election cycles.

That is hardly a temporary change.

As a registered Democrat, I would celebrate replacing members of Congress who have forgotten their oath to serve constituents and protect the Constitution. But it can’t be at the expense of California’s Constitution — nor its voters who mandated fair, nonpartisan redistricting.

Newsom said the move by Texas Republicans justifies a retaliatory strike. But we witness daily the chaos and mistrust created by revenge politics in Washington. That is not the model of responsible government Californians deserve. Nor do Californians want to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to gamble that different congressional districts will produce the sought-after change, while real problems remain unaddressed.

No one knows the magic number of blue seats needed to win this electoral war, especially as more red states jump in beside Texas. Is the governor willing to risk losing incumbents in more competitive California districts? Will he accept failure if Democrats fall short nationwide?

This is not an unprecedented moment. We’ve seen for decades how partisan gerrymandering suppresses voters’ choice, undermining trust and feeding cynicism. We know that once given power, politicians will fight to retain it with the confidence that a declaration of crisis is all the cover they need.

Newsom should look for a different response to redistricting warfare.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, for example, proposed legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide. I don’t know what brought Kiley, a Placer County Republican, to this moment. Perhaps it’s self-preservation under the threat of being gerrymandered out of his seat. But considering a national solution to a national problem would be a welcome undertaking.

Newsom says Democrats can take back Congress if the American people are given a fair chance, a voice and a choice. In California, the people already have that chance, and it’s the independent redistricting commission.

Californians can send a clear message to Newsom and legislative leaders on Nov. 4 to respect the will of the people and not sacrifice the independent redistricting commission, nor the state’s limited financial resources, for short-term political gain.