California’s Redistricting Commission is divided over Prop 50 | California Politics 360
Neal Fornaciari, the leader of the commission, said seven of the 15 commissioners are against it, while three have said they support it.
ASHLEY. THANK YOU. KURTIS. BACK TO CALIFORNIA, WHERE VOTERS AGAIN ARE DECIDING IF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC DRAWN MAPS SHOULD TAKE EFFECT WITH A YES VOTE ON PROP 50, OR IF THEY VOTE NO, IT WOULD KEEP THE CURRENT MAPS IN PLACE, WHICH WERE DESIGNED BY THE INDEPENDENT CALIFORNIA CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION. THOSE MAPS WERE DRAWN AFTER THE 2020 CENSUS. WE ARE JOINED NOW BY TWO MEMBERS OF THAT INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, REPUBLICAN NEIL FORNACIARI, WHO LEADS THE COMMISSION NOW, AND DEMOCRAT CYNTHIA DYE, WHO IS ON THE STATE’S INAUGURAL COMMISSION IN 2010. THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. NEIL, I WANT TO START WITH YOU FIRST WITH THE CURRENT COMMISSION. WHAT ARE CONVERSATIONS LIKE RIGHT NOW AMONG MEMBERS WITH PROP 50 HANGING IN THE BALANCE? YEAH, WE’VE HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PROP 50. I JUST I HAPPEN TO BE CHAIR WHEN THIS THIS ALL CAME OUT. WE PUT TOGETHER A STATEMENT BY THE COMMISSION PRIOR TO MEETING. WE MET. YOU KNOW, WE’VE HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS. WE HAVE FOLKS ON ON BOTH SIDES. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE ARE FREE TO HAVE THEIR OPINIONS AND THEY HAVE THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO HAVE THEIR DIFFERENT OPINIONS. I WILL SAY THAT SEVEN OF US HAVE WRITTEN AN OP ED THAT WOULD BE HOPEFULLY PUBLISHED SOON, OPPOSING PROP 50. SO BUT THE COMMISSION IS DIVIDED. IS THAT BASICALLY THE COMMISSION IS DIVIDED? YES. BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THREE FOLKS THAT HAVE SPOKEN OUT FOR YES. AND SEVEN OF US AT THIS POINT HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST. BUT WE ALL GET ALONG, YOU KNOW, AND WORK THROUGH THINGS THE WAY, THE SAME WAY WE WORK THROUGH MAKING THE MAPS. CYNTHIA, AS A DEMOCRAT, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE MESSAGING, THOUGH, ON THE YES ON 50 SIDE, WHICH THE YES CAMPAIGN IS BASICALLY PAINTING THIS AS A REFERENDUM AGAINST PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, WHO HAS BEEN AGITATING DEMOCRATS IN THE STATE. WELL, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF MY FRIENDS ARE CONFUSED ABOUT 50 AND FOR GOOD REASON. 50 SAYS THAT IT WILL PROTECT DEMOCRACY. AND YET IT’S SETTING ASIDE A CITIZEN DRAWN MAP THAT 35,000 CALIFORNIANS PARTICIPATED IN AND SILENCES CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY UNDEMOCRATIC. IT SAYS IT WILL STOP TRUMP. YET ON NOVEMBER 5TH, TRUMP WILL STILL BE PRESIDENT. HE WILL STILL BE RULING BY EXECUTIVE ORDER. HE WILL STILL BE LARGELY IGNORING THE AGENCIES THAT CONGRESS HAS CREATED. THE APPROPRIATIONS THAT THEY’VE MADE, AND HE WILL STILL BE TESTING THE LIMITS OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. SO IT WON’T DO THAT EITHER. AND THE MATH DOESN’T WORK OUT AS YOUR FELLOW REPORTER SAID, THERE ARE WAY MORE RED. YOU KNOW, STATES THAT CONTROL MAP DRAWING THAN THAN BLUE STATES. SO IT WON’T EVEN ACCOMPLISH THAT. SO TO YOU, THIS COULD BE A LOST CAUSE. I DON’T THINK IT’S A LOST CAUSE, BUT I THINK 50 IS THE WRONG RESPONSE. I MEAN, IF THE GOAL IS TO WIN BACK CONGRESS, WHY WOULD THE LEGISLATURE PUT A PROPOSITION ON THAT WILL GAIN 3 TO 5 SEATS? BECAUSE FIVE IS NOT GUARANTEED. WHEN NEIL’S COMMISSION PUT IN PLACE OVER A DOZEN FAIR AND COMPETITIVE DISTRICTS. WHY CAP IT FOR BOTH OF YOU? THIS WEEK THERE WAS A PROPOSED BALLOT INITIATIVE THAT ENTERED CIRCULATION HERE IN CALIFORNIA THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE STATE LAWMAKERS WHO VOTED TO PUT PROP 50 ON THE BALLOT FROM RUNNING FOR ELECTED OFFICE IN CALIFORNIA. THAT INCLUDES CONGRESS. THAT INCLUDES STATEWIDE OFFICE THAT INCLUDES LOCAL OFFICES. IS THAT FAIR TO YOU, NEIL? IT’S ABSOLUTELY FAIR TO ME. THAT’S THE THOSE ARE THE SAME RULES THAT APPLY TO US AS COMMISSIONERS. WE’RE NOT ALLOWED TO RUN FOR LOCAL OR LOCAL OFFICE OR APPOINTED LOCAL OFFICE FOR FIVE YEARS. AND NO STATEWIDE OFFICES FOR TEN YEARS. SO THE SAME RULES SHOULD APPLY. CYNTHIA, I TOTALLY AGREE. I MEAN, WE WANT TO GET RID OF THE SELF-DEALING THAT’S GOING ON WHERE POLITICIANS ARE ARE SELECTING THEIR VOTERS RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND. AND THIS WAY, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN IN THE DISTRICTS THEY JUST DESIGNED FOR THEMSELVES. THE PROPONENTS OF THIS, THE YES CAMPAIGN, ESSENTIALLY THEY ARE SAYING THIS IS TEMPORARY. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT THIS IS TEMPORARY? I’M NOT CONFIDENT AT ALL. IT’S TEMPORARY UNTIL THE NEXT CRISIS. THE, YOU KNOW, 20, 30 CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO LOSE BETWEEN THREE AND AND SIX CONGRESSIONAL SEATS. SO THAT’S NEXT CRISIS UP. CYNTHIA, I THINK THE CRISIS WILL COME EVEN SOONER. THE SUPREME COURT IS ACTUALLY CONSIDERING POTENTIALLY DISMANTLING THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT. AND PROP 50 ALREADY SPLINTERS. BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES AND AND FAST GROWING ASIAN COMMUNITIES. AND PRETTY SOON NOBODY WILL HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE THAT THEY CAN ELECT. CYNTHIA INYO, W
California’s Redistricting Commission is divided over Prop 50 | California Politics 360
Neal Fornaciari, the leader of the commission, said seven of the 15 commissioners are against it, while three have said they support it.
Updated: 8:30 AM PDT Oct 26, 2025
The leader of California’s citizen-led, Redistricting Commission confirmed on California Politics 360 that the group is divided when it comes to the redistricting measure being presented to voters known as Proposition 50. Neal Fornaciari, the leader of the commission, said seven of the 15 commissioners are against it, while three have said they support it. Fornaciari said he is among those who oppose the proposal. “We all get along and work through things, the same way we work through the maps,” Fornaciari, a Republican said. (Video below: Watch the full episode of California Politics 360 for Oct. 26, 2025.)Former commissioner Cynthia Dai, a Democrat who served on the state’s very first redistricting commission when it was established in 2010, also opposes the proposal. She said the five seats Democratic leaders are targeting in California are not guaranteed. “I don’t think it’s a lost cause, but I think it’s the wrong response,” she said on California Politics 360. “On Nov. 5th, Trump will still be president. He will still be ruling by executive order, he will still be largely ignoring the agencies that Congress created, the appropriations they’ve made, and he’ll still be testing the judicial system.” A proposed ballot initiative for 2026 would prohibit the state lawmakers who approved Proposition 50 from running for Congress, state and local offices for a decade. Both Fornaciari and Dai said they think the proposal is fair, noting those are the same rules for the state’s redistricting commissioners. See more interviews from California Politics 360 below. Impacts of shutdown on CalFresh food assistance Reporter roundtable on federal agents in the Bay AreaSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The leader of California’s citizen-led, Redistricting Commission confirmed on California Politics 360 that the group is divided when it comes to the redistricting measure being presented to voters known as Proposition 50.
Neal Fornaciari, the leader of the commission, said seven of the 15 commissioners are against it, while three have said they support it. Fornaciari said he is among those who oppose the proposal.
“We all get along and work through things, the same way we work through the maps,” Fornaciari, a Republican said.
(Video below: Watch the full episode of California Politics 360 for Oct. 26, 2025.)
Former commissioner Cynthia Dai, a Democrat who served on the state’s very first redistricting commission when it was established in 2010, also opposes the proposal. She said the five seats Democratic leaders are targeting in California are not guaranteed.
“I don’t think it’s a lost cause, but I think it’s the wrong response,” she said on California Politics 360. “On Nov. 5th, Trump will still be president. He will still be ruling by executive order, he will still be largely ignoring the agencies that Congress created, the appropriations they’ve made, and he’ll still be testing the judicial system.”
A proposed ballot initiative for 2026 would prohibit the state lawmakers who approved Proposition 50 from running for Congress, state and local offices for a decade. Both Fornaciari and Dai said they think the proposal is fair, noting those are the same rules for the state’s redistricting commissioners.
See more interviews from California Politics 360 below.
Impacts of shutdown on CalFresh food assistance
Reporter roundtable on federal agents in the Bay Area
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel