Voting across the Golden State is already underway on Prop. 50 – a statewide redistricting ballot measure that, if approved, makes it easier for Democrats to win five of California’s over 50 congressional seats in the next election.
The Nov. 4 special election will determine whether state officials will adopt a temporary voting district map aimed at giving Democrats an advantage in future elections in five congressional seats till the end of the decade.
Supporters argue the redistricting effort is a direct response to similar efforts in Texas to give Republicans a leg up on winning more seats in the House of Representatives and would ensure a level playing field in next year’s congressional mid-term election.
Critics argue that it is gerrymandering, takes away transparency and public input in the redistricting process and allows politicians to draw up maps that favor their reelection – something California voters prohibited more than a decade ago by setting up an independent commission.
For about a month, Republican elected officials in OC have been publicly opposing the measure with city council members in Orange, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Westminster adopting resolutions on majority votes against redrawing California’s Congressional map.
[Read: More Orange County Officials Weigh In on California’s Redistricting Proposal]
Santa Ana officials soon may be the first in Orange County to adopt a resolution in support of Prop. 50 after ballots were mailed out to voters earlier this month.
Councilmember David Penaloza sits at the dais during the Oct. 7, 2025 Santa Ana City Council meeting. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
Last week, Santa Ana Councilman David Penaloza – who is running for state assembly – successfully got his colleagues’ support to direct staff to draft a resolution in favor of temporarily redrawing the maps.
“This measure is not just another policy question. It is a direct response to the dangerous trend – the partisan manipulation of congressional districts, most recently seen in the state of Texas, where maps were redrawn mid decade to tilt the balance of power,” Penaloza said at the Oct. 7 city council meeting.
“If left unchecked, these practices threaten the very foundation of our democracy and representative government.”
That same night, Fountain Valley City Council members debated a resolution opposing Prop. 50 – a measure that several residents implored elected officials not to take a stand on, arguing they should stay out of partisan politics and focus on municipal affairs.
Mayor Ted Bui – who was endorsed by the Republican Party of OC in last year’s election – said the proposition is indeed a local issue.
“Prop. 50 doesn’t stop gerrymandering. It continues it under another name. California should stand firm on principle. If gerrymandering is wrong elsewhere, it’s wrong here. Two wrongs don’t make it right,” said Bui at the Oct. 7 city council meeting.
“Prop. 50 may ripple into Congress, but the decision, the authority and the impacts are here in California, in all neighborhoods, in all city budgets and in all resident daily lives.”
Voting booths in Freedom Hall at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, Calif., Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Credit: Renee Elefante / Voice of OC
Ultimately, a majority of Fountain Valley officials decided to not take action on the resolution after pushback from residents and Councilman Glenn Grandis, a Democrat.
“This is not a city issue. It should not be brought up here,” said Grandis at the Oct. 7 meeting.
“We should stay the heck out of it. We’re responsible for roads. We’re responsible for sewers, exciting stuff like that. We’re not responsible for what happens in an election and we should allow our residents to make their own decisions.”
Elected officials in other cities like Irvine, Stanton and Cypress also debated taking a stand against the proposition, but ultimately did not adopt resolutions against Prop. 50.
Meanwhile, the California Republican Party, The OC Register Editorial Board, Mission Viejo City Council, Yorba Linda City Council, the Seal Beach City Council and the Orange County Board of Education oppose the proposition.
[Read: Orange County Sounds Off on California Redistricting Push]
Proponents of the proposition include prominent Democrats like Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Democratic Party, OC Action, California Teachers Association and the California Labor Federation.
Congressional Redistricting in California
Typically, redistricting in California happens by an independent commission every decade following completion of the U.S. Census.
If approved, Prop. 50 would implement a map drawn by state legislators to be used in the next three election years before the independent commission resumes their work of drawing up the maps.
To view the proposed map drawn, click here.
Before 2010, state legislators drew up the congressional districts in California.
That changed after California voters approved Prop. 20 in 2010 which yanked the responsibility of redistricting from the legislature and gave it to an independent commission that was created by a separate proposition.
Since then, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission – made up of five Democrats, five Republicans and four members who aren’t registered with either of those political parties – have drawn the maps.
According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, adoption of the proposition could cost counties across the state millions of dollars and cost the state $200,000 to implement.
The last day to register to vote for the special election is Oct. 20.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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