September Mono County Democrats Updates: Get the facts of Prop 50 in California
- monocountydemocrat
- Sep 19
- 9 min read
In this newsletter:
Fellow Mono County community members,
The big news right now, and the thing that most people seem concerned about, is Proposition 50 about redistricting. We're creating some resources to help the community better understand all the details, and we are always open to questions and discussions.
I know that these are difficult and challenging times, but the Democratic Party is fighting back in ways we can, such as Prop 50.
The thing to remember is that the tide seems to be turning. Trump is increasingly unpopular, and off-year elections generally favor the party out of power.
But we still have lots of work to do. We can always use extra help, so please reach out if you are available and interested.
-Joyce Kaufman
Mono County Democratic Central Committee Chair
Chair: Joyce P. Kaufman (June Lake) jpkaufman70@gmail.com
Vice chair: Urs Willimann (Bridgeport) willimann.urs@gmail.com
Comptroller: OJ Zeleny (Mammoth Lakes) ojz@mac.com
Recording Secretary, Rosemarie Willimann (Bridgeport) rawillimann@yahoo.com
California Redistricting
What is Gerrymandering?
Before we jump into the specifics of California Proposition 50, we've been getting a lot of questions about what gerrymandering is. We've created a full Q&A, with unbiased references, to outline the basics and get you the facts.
What does Prop 50 in California say?
California Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that will appear on the special election ballot in California on November 4, 2025.
The ballot question is whether or not to authorize a “temporary change” to the 52 congressional district maps through 2030, explicitly to counter the recent redistricting effort in Texas. It promises to retain the independent citizens' redistricting commission, which will again draw the lines after the 2030 census.
If it passes, Democrats will be poised to claim five Republican-held seats in the state, balancing out a possible five-seat pickup for Republicans in Texas.
Why is it important to vote “YES” on Prop 50 in November?
Given President Trump’s push to red states to redistrict, the blue states have to respond. It seems ironic that this is how we protect Democracy, and it sure is a thin line, but passing Proposition 50 levels the playing field by redistricting California to increase the number of Democratic members of Congress.
It still maintains the commitment to fair redistricting in California and nationally, which has long been a goal of California
Unlike Texas, where the State legislature drew the maps and made the decisions without input from its citizens, California is giving the power to the voters to approve the temporary maps
Prop 50 provides emergency maps drawn in direct response to the GOP (Trump) power grab. These maps will be directly triggered by changes made by Texas - if they don't adjust their districts, neither will California. But if Texas moves forward, California will respond.
It is temporary! The maps will be in place only until 2030 (for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections). New maps will be redrawn after the 2030 census by the non-partisan independent commission
Issues with Prop 50 in California
We recognize that many people have reservations about Prop 50 and are hesitant to vote for it. It is essential to address both the pros and cons so that our community members can make an informed decision at the ballot this November.
Prop 50 may seem to stand in opposition to what the voters said they wanted in order to ensure fair redistricting. In 2008, California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act, authorizing the creation of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new district lines, taking the job out of the hands of the California Legislature and transferring it to the citizens.
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) was created as a non-partisan body, made up of 14 members (5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 who are affiliated with neither party) to draw the lines for all elected state-wide offices, including Congress. The current Congressional district lines (those of us in Mono and Inyo Counties are in CD 3) were the result of the redistricting process following the 2020 census. Prop 50 would only redraw Congressional lines, not any other boundaries for state-wide elected office, such as Assembly or State Senate.
Among the arguments against Prop 50 is the fact that it stands in opposition to what is in the Constitution, giving power to the CRC. Some argue that this is part of a race to the bottom, and there is no telling when/where/how it will stop. The argument is that Democrats are doing this just because the Republicans are, but that does not make it right or even fair, and it will disenfranchise voters.
On the latter point, if Prop 50 were to go through, those of us in Inyo and Mono would become part of CD 5, Tom McClintock’s district, which will become even more heavily Republican, giving us little chance of ever having a Democrat represent us.
So why is this good for us?
One way to think of it is that we are “taking one for the team.” Yes, we are being sacrificed locally in the redistricting, but we can continue to support the election of Heidi Hall, or whoever will be the democratic candidate in the new CD 3, and know that we can turn to her for assistance, since we know McClintock will not help us. This would only be in place for the next few election cycles, and then we will have the chance to fight for a new district, which is what we did to get the current CD 3 created.
And, when it comes right down to it, given what Trump and the MAGA Republicans are doing, the Democrats need to fight back! People across the country are begging our representatives to "do something", and this is the type of action we need to combat what MAGA is doing. This is one way we can fight and send a message to Trump and the Republicans that Democrats will not stand for these actions that undermine the rights of citizens across this country.
If we don't act now, this administration has been explicit that their goal is to make sure we don't get the chance in the future.
What can you do?
We need to be able to reach as many people as possible to help them understand why voting “YES” on Prop 50 is crucial. Since Texas redistricted, Missouri did as well to get rid of the one Democratic Congressional seat in the state and make it Republican. It will be facing lawsuits, but we can clearly see the patterns: Trump will try to do anything to keep the Republican majority, which will ensure the continuation of his authoritarian agenda, and that he will not be controlled in any way or held accountable.
So, what can you do? You can talk to family, friends, and neighbors to stress the importance of this vote. You can help out by taking action (see below). You can write Letters to the Editor or an Op-Ed piece, which I intend to do, supporting Prop 50. And you can help by dispelling the right-wing myths that are perpetuated about how this is anti-democratic and unconstitutional.
If you would like to get involved, visit this link that shows various events and opportunities.
· There are two phone banks a day, six days a week, until the election
· There will be canvassing in Mammoth and Bishop
· Have informal conversations with friends and neighbors
· Be sure to vote! (Ballots will drop on October 6. Vote early!)
As an FYI to our readers, the Mono Dems have agreed to place ads in The Sheet, the Mammoth Times, and the Inyo Register about the importance of voting YES on Prop 50. We plan to have them in the paper in October after ballots drop, so look for them.
Mono County Events
Betty Yee visit to Inyo and Mono Counties
Over the weekend of September 12-13, Betty Yee, candidate for Governor, and her husband Steven Jacobs spent time with us in both Inyo and Mono Counties. Her visit was a bit truncated because of the smoke; they came one day later than planned, but she really wanted to visit, so we went forward.
Betty spent Friday night in Bishop, doing a “Fireside Chat” as part of her listening tour. Betty’s goal is to visit every county so that she can learn first-hand about the issues that affect us across the State. One of the things that resonated most at that discussion was about rural health care, and how those of us in Mammoth and Bishop are really affected by what is happening to our health care systems, a point she came back to at her discussion in Mammoth.
On Saturday morning, Janet Carle gave Betty and Steven a tour of South Tufa and that part of Mono Lake. A number of us joined the group for the tour, where Janet not only gave the history of the water diversion from Mono Lake by LADWP, but also the implications of that decision today. We saw osprey nests (although they had fled the nests by then), and also saw the evidence of the wild horses that had invaded the area from the Adobe Valley. Janet talked a lot about efforts underway to control the wild horse population and to keep them from invading – and destroying – the fragile ecosystem of Mono Lake.
After that, Betty and Steven had a visit to the White Bark Institute, and ended the day with another discussion at Chris Bubser’s home. About 25 people joined us for that. Betty started out by talking about why she is running for Governor, and how her experiences as Comptroller of the State of California have given her unique insights into the budget and fiscal management. She spoke about a number of other issues, including housing/homelessness, rural health care, protecting the environment and public lands, insurance issues, and how they might be controlled, and in a special shout-out to the young people who were there from Coalition Mammoth, she talked about the need to hear the voices of young people. She took a range of questions and seemed to enjoy the opportunity to engage with people here in our part of the world.
Remember that there are a number of people who are running for governor, both Democratic and Republican, and the top two vote-getters in the primary in June will go on to the general election in November. One of the first questions Steven asked me was which of the gubernatorial candidates had reached out to us so far besides Betty, and I had to answer that none had. Take that for what it’s worth.
Candidates’ visits to our monthly Dems meetings
We have had a number of candidates for various offices reach out to us to ask if they could attend our meetings and speak with our members and friends. Right now, we have three scheduled for our October 8 meeting:
Josh Engel, candidate for Assembly District 8
Tim Myers, candidate for Lt. Governor
Josh Newman, candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
I will confirm these before our meeting. Tentatively scheduled for November are Josh Fryday, candidate for Lt. Governor, and Assemblyman Al Muratschi, candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Remember that our meetings are open to all and are on the second Monday of the month from 5:00 to about 7:00 on Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to me, and I will get you the agenda and Zoom link.
Ways to get involved
Get involved with the California State Democratic Party (CADEM)
CADEM is rolling out a series of trainings for people who want to get more involved. This is the information to sign up for any of the trainings, which are free:
Sessions are online, free and open to anyone who shares our mission.
And this is just the beginning!
Tuesday, October 21st: Using the New and Improved PDI
Tuesday, November 18th: Volunteer Recruitment and Engagement
Tuesday, December 16th: TBA
We’ll also be rolling out a full series of events in the months ahead, including town halls, phonebanks, canvasses, and house parties to build grassroots power across California.
Sign up here to stay updated on how you can be involved every step of the way.
Phone banking
CADEM is sponsoring phone banks that will reach out to newly registered Democrats in the four targeted districts. They will be held once a month on Thursdays from 6:00 – 7:30. In addition to our district, they are focused on flipping the seats currently held by Young Kim in Orange County, Ken Calvert in the Palm Springs area, and David Valadao, in the Central Valley. All of these are seen as flippable.
If you want to help, click here to join. Training is provided before calling.
There will be more opportunities to get involved as we get closer to the election.
Until then, most of our organizing here in CD 3 comes from the ROC, the Regional Organizing Council, headed by Sue Hilderbrand from the State Party. If you want to learn more about what you can do to help now, I urge you to check out the ROC Orientation, which is on Tuesdays from 5:00 to 6:00. You can register here.
Not only will this give you more information about the ROC and what we are doing, but it also has a number of ways you can get involved, depending on your time and interests. If nothing else, it offers great insight into what is going on behind the scenes.
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