LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – 30 California district attorneys are urging voters to reject Proposition 50 this upcoming special election in a letter dated Oct. 9, strongly opposing the redistricting initiative. El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire, and Sierra County (north of Truckee) District Attorney Sandy Groven are among the 30 who believe the proposition will divide communities and silence voters by reinstating gerrymandering.

It does so, their letter explains, by dismantling the voter-approved California Citizens Redistricting Commission, an independent commission that draws congressional lines based on census data, which was voter-approved through Proposition 11 (2008) and Proposition 20 (2010). 

“Proposition 50 undermines democracy by prioritizing politicians’ power,” the letter reads, “instead of preserving voter-approved reforms that improve community representation.”

Proposition 50 was crafted to counter Texas’s gerrymandering, which added five republican seats.

“Partisan gerrymandering is fundamentally wrong, regardless of who perpetrates it or where it occurs. Two wrongs do not make a right,” the letter says, declaring it erodes trust in the government and ignores the clear mandate for independent redistricting. 

If voted in by California voters, the constitutional amendment would temporarily adopt new California congressional districts for use in congressional elections through 2030.

Lake Tahoe lies within a district that could turn blue with new congressional lines. You can learn more in the article titled, How could Newsom’s proposed redistricting impact Lake Tahoe?

The district attorneys not only criticize the principle, but also the $300 million price tag for the special election, which they argue could have supported other voter-approved programs.

Other regional leaders have previously expressed opposition as well, including California District 3 Congressman, republican Kevin Kiley, and El Dorado County District V Supervisor, Brooke Laine. You can read more in the article titled, Certain local voices oppose Gov. Newsom’s redistricting campaign.

Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson, was not named in the letter.

California voters have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 50 on Nov. 4.

Read the entire letter below.