Trump vs Newsom: California proposition 50 explained | What you need to know about the plan
Trump and Newsom have been battling in public for years: here’s the latest spat explained.
Trump and Newsom have been going at it in every way possible apart from inside the squared circle since the former was elected to the post of president of the United States last year. Whether it be in front of the TV cameras, on social media, or in each others’ dreams, the Trump vs Newsom fight would certainly do better numbers than any lame excuses for fighting that YouTube Paul brother does.
The latest test of the two will be carried out by California voters, who will soon decide the fate of Proposition 50, the single statewide measure on this year’s ballot. At first glance, it looks like a straight-up vote on which of the two get to draw congressional maps. But the stakes are far bigger: it’s about whether California can stand up to Donald Trump’s power grabs and protect its own political clout in Washington.
Right now, California relies on an independent commission to draw district lines. It’s an age-old system that was created to keep politicians from rigging maps for their own advantage (remind you of anyone?).While the idea behind it sound completely logical, it actually leaves California at a disadvantage when other states play by a completely different set of rules.
Texas, for example, pushed through a blatant mid-cycle redraw that handed Republicans extra seats. Trump cheered it on, proving once again that for him, democracy is only valuable when it works in his favour.
Proposition 50 would pause the commission’s work and temporarily return redistricting power to the Legislature until 2030. Supporters, including Governor Gavin Newsom, argue this is a necessary brick in their defensive wall. If Republicans are gaming the system in red states, California cannot afford to sit back and let its representation wither away as Trump and his troops storm around with their big boots on.
Of course, Trump and his allies are already sounding alarms and spinning the media machine at full tilt regarding Proposition 50, portraying it as a power grab.
But the GOP’s real fear has never been about fairness for all, it’s about losing the upper hand they’ve manufactured elsewhere.
The website Voter Guide puts it like this:
A YES vote on this measure means: The state would use new, legislatively drawn congressional district maps starting in 2026. California’s new maps would be used until the California Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new maps following the 2030 U.S. Census.
A NO vote on this measure means: Current congressional district maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) would continue to be used in California until the Commission draws new maps following the 2030 U.S. Census.
— https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/50.htm
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