03 Nov Contra Costa Residents Optimistic Prop 50 Would Bring Positive Changes to Congress

Sealed ballot envelopes can be put in ballot drop boxes like this one in Antioch until 8 p.m. Tuesday when polls close. (Malcolm Marshall / The CC Pulse)

By Denis Perez-Bravo | Voter photos by Denis Perez-Bravo

Californians have been asked to decide whether to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional districts, in what officials say is an effort to ensure fair political representation.

Proposition 50 would authorize a temporary redrawing of the state’s congressional district map, a move Gov. Gavin Newsom says is necessary to restore balance after Texas approved maps expected to shift several U.S. House seats to the GOP, reshaping national political power. 

Newsom told Stephen Colbert that “Donald Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections” and in an interview with “Meet the Press” again accused the president of “rigging the game because he knows he’ll lose if all things are equal.”

In August, Texas lawmakers approved a mid-decade redistricting plan expected to shift five U.S. House of Representatives seats from Democrats to Republicans. 

Weeks later, Newsom called a special election asking voters to approve new congressional maps drawn by Democrats, bypassing the state’s independent redistricting commission. The proposal could flip five Republican-held seats to Democrats.

Republican donors, primarily Charles Munger Jr., have funded the campaign opposing the measure, while Newsom’s “Yes” campaign has raised more than $250 million, according to UC Riverside News. Through Sept. 20, Yes on 50 raised $49 million of its funding from small donors compared to just $8,300 on the no side, according to the Fullerton Observer. Significant donors who support Prop. 50 include the California Teachers Association and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings. 

Appeals on both sides underscore broader concerns about representation and fairness.  

Contra Costa Pulse talked to residents to get their take, with most who spoke to us favoring the measure. The following are their unedited remarks.  

Cordell Handler, Richmond, 37 

I will be voting on yes, because every election is always the same cycle. We don’t get the outcome that we deserve.

It would show that we want our voices to be heard because I’ve been seeing a lot of backlash about, like, how the elections were, were rigged and other things. And I feel that as American citizens, we feel that we deserve the right to vote. So we’re hoping that people will do the right thing by voting yes on Prop 50. 

Ana Crespin, Martinez, 45 

I want democracy to succeed, and I am hoping that by voting yes, it will give the Congress ability to get more Democrats and pass better laws.  

Immigration is a big deal. I am hoping that Congress can be more empathetic to immigrants and try to see if they can help them get legalized and not deported like now.  

Another thing is healthcare. I hope that with redistricting, it will help.

Ken Alfred, Pinole, 50 

Voted yes, absolutely. I love Gavin Newsom, and I love listening to his comments against Trump.  

Arnie Ode, 72, Hercules 

I don’t like it, but I will vote for it.  

We ought to go back to nonpartisan redistricting. That should be the law of the land. 

London Reid, San Pablo, 39

It is not right to gerrymander. Because of what happened in Texas, it is not right they are trying to have constituent representation for whites than POCs.

[Ed. Note: Reid said she was voting yes.] 

A homeless man residing in El Sobrante who wished to stay anonymous said he voted no on Proposition 50 because he did not like what he saw in the measure’s language. He said the proposition was a response to Texas and not authentic.