A few days after the California legislature voted to put Prop 50 on the ballot, our mailboxes across the state were inundated with Republican “Vote No on Prop 50” propaganda. Do or don’t believe it, but make sure that you are looking at the BIG PICTURE.

Why I Am Voting Yes on Prop 50

It’s a temporary fix California can use to offset gerrymandering actions taken in Texas – which would otherwise give Republicans an unfair advantage in Congress. Depending on how you look at it, fortunately or unfortunately, the people voted into a federal office representing a small region of any state can severely affect the lives of everyone in the country.

Do I like the idea of using gerrymandering to, in simple terms, potentially rig an election? No.

BUT …

Is it necessary? Yes. In this case it is. We have the ability as a state to counterbalance an imbalance deliberately created to maintain a Republican majority in Congress. Passing Prop 50 will give not only Californians fairer representation in Congress, but also the American people.

Fight fire with fire. There is nothing that California knows how to do better than to fight fire – whether it’s a real fire in our communities, or a metaphorical fire in our country.

This is a BIG PICTURE moment in our nation’s history. California is working hard to create balance.

A Compiled Yes on Prop 50 Checklist

— A Yes vote means: the state would use legislatively drawn congressional district maps starting in 2026. The current independent commission (California Citizens Redistricting Commission) would be bypassed until after the next census (post-2030).

— A No vote keeps the current commission-drawn maps until the commission redraws them after the 2030 U.S. Census.

— The measure is explicitly a response to Texas’ mid-decade partisan congressional redistricting.

— Texas Republicans passed a bill to redraw congressional maps to gain five additional U.S. House seats.

— Prop 50 is temporary — only until after the 2030 census when the independent commission would resume map-drawing.

— Among the arguments, supporters say it helps to counterbalance GOP redistricting efforts elsewhere. (Opponents argue this is a rollback of the independent commission system designed to reduce political influence in map-drawing.)

— The latest polls show ~51% support, ~34% opposition, ~15% undecided for Prop 50. From Emerson College Polling.