The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has endorsed Proposition 50, the state’s disputed congressional redistricting initiative meant to offset Texas’ mid-decade redistricting in favor of Republicans.
The board on Tuesday unanimously accepted a letter encouraging Sonoma County voters to help the proposition within the Nov. 4 particular election. Different governing boards all through the state have taken related steps, together with the Napa County Board of Supervisors, which endorsed the poll measure final week.
Spearheaded by Gov. Gavin Newsom and backed by the supermajority of Democrats within the Legislature, Prop. 50 proposes swapping out the state’s present congressional districts, set by an impartial, appointed fee, for a map drawn by the Legislature to favor Democrats in 2026 — and neutralize Texas’ maneuver pushed by President Donald Trump to retain GOP management of the U.S. Home.
California’s new map, if handed, could be in impact till 2030. The California’s Residents Redistricting Fee would resume oversight in 2031.
Santa Rosa has emerged as a key piece of efforts to ascertain one of many newly drawn Northern California districts favorable to Democrats, who take pleasure in an awesome majority by get together registration within the extra densely populated North Bay however are outnumbered in most rural counties farther north and east, the place Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa is the incumbent.
If the map is handed, Santa Rosa would turn out to be the voting core of the newly drawn 1st District favoring a Democrat.
It could absorb Santa Rosa at its southern tip, lengthen up the Freeway 101 hall by means of the japanese half of Mendocino County, whereas sweeping east to absorb a lot of Lake County, in addition to Glenn and Tehama counties within the Sacramento Valley, and Butte, Plumas and Lassen counties, extending to the Nevada border.
Map courtesy CalMatters
The purple part above exhibits the present 1st Congressional District in Northern California, now held by Republican U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa. The gold dotted traces present the proposed redrawn 1st district, which would come with all of Democratic-leaning Santa Rosa. The redrawn district could be 41% Democrat, 31% Republican and 27% ‘no get together choice’ in response to redistricting effort paperwork obtained by The Press Democrat, making it one among 5 districts Democrats hope to show blue. (Map courtesy CalMatters)
The huge 2nd District, in the meantime, represented by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and stretching at present alongside the coast from the Golden Gate to the Oregon border, could be pushed nearer to the coast in Sonoma County whereas having the highest third of its territory lengthen from the Pacific coast to the Nevada border, a large swath at present in LaMalfa’s 1st District.
The 4th District,, represented by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, could be reshaped largely to the east, taking within the southern corners of Sonoma and Lake counties, all of Napa, Colusa, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba counties and a western a part of Nevada County.
See a comparability of the present congressional map and proposed map right here on the California Legislative Analyst’s Workplace.
When the proposed map was first launched board Chair Lynda Hopkins authored a prolonged Fb put up essential of redistricting that may dilute the agricultural vote and break up extra of western Sonoma County, which she represents, into separate congressional districts.
The put up drew heavy criticism prompting Hopkins to make clear that she doesn’t oppose redistricting.
The board’s vote on Tuesday approved Hopkins to signal the Prop. 50 letter in her capability as board chair.
All 5 of the board members are registered Democrats, although their elected places of work are nonpartisan.
Of the 5, solely two provided any feedback Tuesday through the 5-0 roll name vote. Supervisor David Rabbitt questioned whether or not it was applicable for the board to weigh in on the partisan challenge.
“It does give me a bit angst as a result of we’re imagined to be a nonpartisan board,” he mentioned.
Vice Chair Rebecca Hermosillo took the chance to reply when casting her vote. If Texas hadn’t pushed ahead with its personal mid-decade redistricting, she mentioned, “we wouldn’t be right here.”
Throughout a separate board assembly held within the night about anticipated impacts from federal funding cuts, Supervisor Chris Coursey tied these impacts — anticipated to pressure departments and nonprofits — to Prop. 50. Ought to Republicans keep their majority in Congress following midterm elections, Coursey mentioned, Sonoma County will likely be in “much more hassle than we’re at the moment.”
A number of members of the general public on Tuesday requested the board to approve the letter, describing Prop. 50 as essential to safeguard democracy amid the nationwide struggle over congressional management.
“Sure on 50 is essential to revive some checks and balances to 4 federal authorities,” mentioned Beth Hadley, President of Sonoma Valley Democrats and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s consultant on the Sonoma County Democratic Occasion Central Committee.
“It’s not correct to say that this can be a state challenge and that we should always not take a stand on the county degree, as a result of relatively than working for the nice of all People, this administration is focusing on blue districts, and that features our stunning county,” Hadley later added.
You may attain Employees Author Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On X @MurphReports.
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