Marin Voice: Assemblymember lays out case for Prop. 50
It is tragically self-evident that the Trump administration poses a unique threat to our freedoms, shared values and diverse communities. The National Guard is being sent to American cities against the will of local elected leaders and the residents themselves, federal agencies designed to help the most vulnerable are being gutted and whole neighborhoods live in fear that their family members will be seized and sent off to brutal foreign prisons without due process.
Since President Donald Trump’s election last year, I have often been asked what can be done to stop this dangerous slide towards authoritarianism. How can the cruelty of the White House be confronted? How can we protect our democracy?
Californians now have a definitive answer — vote yes on Proposition 50.
Proposition 50 on the Nov. 4 special election ballot is by far the nation’s most consequential election this year. Prop 50 is a temporary emergency measure that redraws California’s congressional districts in response to Trump’s attempts to thwart the will of the people in next year’s midterm congressional election. Currently, Trump’s Republican Party has a slim five-seat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Fully aware of the growing unpopularity of his extremist policies, Trump demanded five additional Republican congressional districts from a compliant Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas’ new districts appear to be fundamentally discriminatory because they dilute political representation for voters of color.
Many of my Democratic counterparts in the Texas Legislature left their state to deny quorum during the special legislative session that voted on Trump’s power grab.
One of the reasons Texas Democrats eventually returned to Austin is because of the actions of myself and my colleagues in California’s Legislature. I helped co-author and pass the Election Rigging Response Act. This legislative package is a direct ask to California voters to take a tangible and meaningful stand against Trump. It asks voters, not politicians, to defend democracy.
Proposition 50 will temporarily redraw our state’s districts to level the playing field in next year’s midterms. Make no mistake, Trump is desperately trying to cling to his fragile majority in the House by any means.Trump seems to realize that the only foreseeable check on his apparent efforts to subvert our Constitution is a House of Representatives with a Democratic majority. With Democrats in control, Trump’s abuses of power, his schemes to enrich his family and his grossly incompetent management of critical federal agencies can be investigated and stopped – or at least exposed. Proposition 50 is a necessary prerequisite to holding Trump accountable.
Opponents of Proposition 50 cynically try to justify their position by falsely claiming they want to protect the Citizens Redistricting Commission. In fact, Proposition 50 explicitly retains it. Prop. 50’s ballot language unequivocally supports fair, independent and nonpartisan redistricting commissions not only for California, but nationwide. Indeed, it’s worth noting that the last time Democrats controlled the House, they passed a comprehensive election reform that would have strengthened voting rights and banned partisan gerrymandering nationwide.
Currently, California’s Redistricting Commission is scheduled to redraw the congressional district in 2032 based on the 2030 census. Passing Prop. 50 will do nothing to alter this timeline.
As many of you may know, I have devoted a considerable amount of time and energy in the state Assembly on legislation intended to prepare and prevent wildfires. We face what amounts to an “arsonist” in the White House who is trying to burn down the institutions that we value. From an independent free press to civil servants who help the vulnerable to scientists trying to cure diseases and much more; the foundations of our society are endangered.
To combat this threat, we must protect those most immediately threatened, such as our immigrant neighbors and the LGBTQ+ community. Then we must contain the conflagration before it can be extinguished.
Proposition 50 is the emergency response that this challenging moment calls for. I urge everyone to vote yes.
Assemblymember Damon Connolly, of San Rafael, represents the 12th District including Marin County and portions of Sonoma County.