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.<\/p>\n
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Councilmember David Penaloza sits at the dais during the Oct. 7, 2025 Santa Ana City Council meeting. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
Last week, Santa Ana Councilman David Penaloza \u2013 who is running for state assembly \u2013 successfully got his colleagues\u2019 support to direct staff to draft a resolution in favor of temporarily redrawing the maps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis measure is not just another policy question. It is a direct response to the dangerous trend \u2013\u00a0 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,\u201d Penaloza said at the Oct. 7 city council meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf left unchecked, these practices threaten the very foundation of our democracy and representative government.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That same night, Fountain Valley City Council members debated a resolution opposing Prop. 50 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Mayor Ted Bui \u2013 who was endorsed by the Republican Party of OC<\/a> in last year\u2019s election \u2013 said the proposition is indeed a local issue.<\/p>\n \u201cProp. 50 doesn\u2019t stop gerrymandering. It continues it under another name. California should stand firm on principle. If gerrymandering is wrong elsewhere, it\u2019s wrong here. Two wrongs don\u2019t make it right,\u201d said Bui at the Oct. 7 city council meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cProp. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a city issue. It should not be brought up here,\u201d said Grandis at the Oct. 7 meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should stay the heck out of it. We\u2019re responsible for roads. We\u2019re responsible for sewers, exciting stuff like that. We\u2019re not responsible for what happens in an election and we should allow our residents to make their own decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the California Republican Party<\/a>, The OC Register Editorial Board<\/a>, Mission Viejo City Council<\/a>, Yorba Linda City Council<\/a>, the Seal Beach City Council <\/a>and the Orange County Board of Education<\/a> oppose the proposition<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n [Read: Orange County Sounds Off on California Redistricting Push<\/a>]<\/p>\n Proponents of the proposition<\/a> include prominent Democrats like Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Democratic Party<\/a>, OC Action, California Teachers Association and the California Labor Federation.<\/p>\n Congressional Redistricting in California<\/p>\n Typically, redistricting in California happens by an independent commission every decade following completion of the U.S. Census.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n To view the proposed map drawn, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before 2010, state legislators drew up the congressional districts in California.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/VotingCenter6_Elefante-copy.jpg\")
Voting booths in Freedom Hall at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, Calif., Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Credit: Renee Elefante \/ Voice of OC<\/p>\n