Find everything you need to know about Prop. 50 in our voter guide

Do you like your representative in Congress and don’t want to lose them? Did you vote yes on creating an independent redistricting commission to mitigate the role of partisan politics in drawing congressional maps more than a decade ago?

All of that can change on Nov. 4. That’s when Californians will be asked to vote yes or no on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that would increase the odds of Democrats’ gaining five seats in the House of Representatives. It’s the governor’s bid to offset a Republican gambit in Texas to gerrymander five seats in favor of Republicans.

To help you make a decision on how to cast your ballot, we have a special edition of our Voter Guide out today to help you understand Proposition 50, the lone statewide item you’ll be voting on in seven weeks. 

California voters approved ballot measures in 2008 and 2010 to model less-partisan redistricting behavior for the rest of the country. Several other states followed, but most still stick to the process of having state lawmakers draw maps in a partisan fashion at the close of every decennial census.

Enter Texas and Donald Trump. The president, fearing that the slim Republican majority in the House will disappear at the midterm elections next year, asked Texas GOP leaders to redraw their congressional maps this year to increase the odds more Republicans are elected. Texas delivered. So, Newsom and the supermajority of Democrats in the Legislature put together Prop. 50 to suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission until 2030 to try to neutralize what Texas did.

Already $90 million in campaign spending has poured into this ballot measure. So far, two polls show Californians are gearing up to approve Prop 50, though many are still undecided.  

Learn more from the guide here. 

California is known for wonky policy fights that generate big bucks in campaign spending and lobbying. We’re not talking about labor battles or dialysis, though. Today’s edition is about the gambling wars.

Earlier this month, lawmakers approved a bill backed by casino-operating Native American tribes that would hurt their competitors. Assembly Bill 831 would ban the sweepstakes prizes gaming companies offer to encourage their players to buy more coins in online games, reports CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow.

The gaming companies say what they offer is safe and isn’t gambling. These games are expected to generate $8 billion in revenue, a legislative analysis said.

The groups backing and fighting this bill spent $1.7 million on lobbying this year.

Newsom’s deadline to veto or sign the bill is Oct. 12.

Read more by Ryan here. 

Newsom signed a slate of laws on Saturday to bolster the state’s position as leader of the Trump resistance, including a contentious bill to prohibit federal and local law enforcement officers from wearing masks, with some exceptions. The bill raises constitutional questions about states’ abilities to restrict federal operations, report CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich and Jeanne Kuang. 

Other new laws bar schools and hospitals from allowing federal immigration agents from entering unless those officers show a warrant. 

In other immigration-related news, Trump declared last Friday that he’s seeking to increase the price of an H-1B visa from a few hundred dollars to $100,000 for new applicants. These are visas for international workers with at least a bachelor’s degree. California, led by its tech sector, is the largest recipient of these workers.

Views on the visa cross party lines. Some say the visas promote U.S. innovation by staffing hard-to-fill positions, including at universities. Others contend the visas permit companies to pursue relatively cheaper labor, limiting otherwise good-paying jobs to U.S. workers — a claim held by the Trump administration. 

Banks and tech companies remain confused about Trump’s visa plans.

• Jacqueline Arthur, head of human capital management at Goldman Sachs, in a Saturday memo to employees: “We acknowledge that this is an uncertain time for our people on H-1B visas and your families.” 

California unions are in disagreement and spending heavily in an election at CalPERS, the pension fund that provides retirement benefits to 2 million people. Public employee unions are typically the only groups that spend money on this, but this time the mostly private-sector trades are weighing in to support an alternative. Now they’re at odds and backing rival candidates. Learn why from CalMatters’ Adam Ashton and Jeremia Kimelman.