Consensus growing in Black community against Prop 50 redistricting ballot initiative

By Emilie St. John

INGLEWOOD – There is growing concern that the will of California voters is being usurped as the battle between Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump reaches a fever pitch that has resulted in a special election taking place this November.

As Trump continues to wield his iron fist over Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Gavin Newsom sees this as an opportunity to further alienate residents in the Golden State.

Last month, Abbott signed off on new congressional maps that would provide Republicans with five new seats.  This was met with lawsuits by groups representing Black and Latino voters who have already filed lawsuits asking that the maps be blocked from going into effect. A three-judge panel that is already considering challenges to Texas’ 2021 maps has set a hearing for early October. The filing deadline for the 2026 midterms is in December.¹

Abbott then took to social media, declaring, “Now more red in the United States Congress.”

Newsom has fired back with his own campaign to combat Abbott by creating new maps to create five new seats for Democrats.

Newsom recently signed the Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8, adopting a temporary congressional map to counteract potential gerrymandering efforts in Texas. Voters will decide the issue in a special election on Nov. 4.

Surprisingly, in an era where voting rights were the hallmark for the Black community, Newsom has finagled the support of the California Black Caucus to convince Black voters to give up their right to choose who they want.² In essence, the proposed maps divide Black communities and by default, errodes their political power.

Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-San Diego, stated that “California’s response is not one I take lightly” and the redistricting measures are about “defending our right to fair representation.”

“Californians have for far too long felt the consequences of decisions made far from our state, and we are now bearing the brunt of the Trump administration’s policies,” Weber Pierson said.

Members throughout the Black community reject Newsom and the Caucus’ position.

A former Compton elected official, who requested anonymity, opposes Prop 50 because it takes away voting power from the voter.

“I oppose Prop 50 because it takes away power from the people and gives it to Sacramento politicians who consistently show us the more the voters and taxpayers give, the less we get back.”

“Prop 50 benefits the Democrats right now, but if and when Republicans become the majority in the Capitol, Democrats will cry foul when they want to redraw the maps to benefit them.”

Others took to social media to express their displeasure after an article titled Black Vote Will Play a Crucial Role in the Passage of Proposition 50 appeared in a Black owned newspaper.

“Between the 2020 election and the 2024 election, Black registered voter turnout declined by almost 20%.  For this legislation to pass, California voters must show up, and in particular, California Black voters must show up at the polls to ensure that Proposition 50 secures the 50+1 voter majority needed to become law,” wrote Danny Bakewell Jr.

“We already voted on this issue in 2010 that prevented this,” wrote ontarioranchcrime.

In 2010, the California Congressional Redistricting Initiative, Proposition 20 was on the November 2 ballot and was approved by 61.2% of voters.  Prop 20 added the task of redrawing congressional district boundaries to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) and defined a “community of interest” as “a contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.

Newsom’s map carves out communities that are of interest to him and not in the interest of shared social and economic interests.

The proposed map under Prop 50 fractures Black communities, which reduces their political strength.

For instance, Congressional District 44 – that covers Carson to Huntington Park – would lose 10,370 black voters.  Congressional District 42 – that covers Long Beach – would lose over 2,000 black voters.

The Black population in Los Angeles County is currently 7.6% and with the new proposed maps, the Black population would be clumped together with Orange County voters in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.

“If I am correct, Black voters lean Democrat and in 2020 they voted 90% for Democrat and it slightly lowered to 80% in 2024 due in part to Black men leaning Republican, which indicates the Black vote could be split if Newsom continues to make this about Trump,” wrote mr.gomezdelavilla.

“It’s a power play for the Left to remain in power.  Newsom uses Texas as a reason to gerrymander the state. Further, he’ll use racial and emotional narratives to gain support,” wrote beto_ela.  “How the heck can he not fund Prop 36 when the voters overwhelmingly voted for it and yet find $250 million for this initiative?”

Polling data shows that support for Prop 50 has declined 9% since the announcement was made by Newsom’s office that proposed the redistricting special election.
The survey, conducted by the “Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab”, a committee affiliated with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, found Californians are closely divided on the ballot measure, with 48 percent backing the Democrats’ plans and 41 percent in opposition. The 2,000-sample poll used the language that will appear on the ballot to gauge voters’ opinions.

1.  Gov. Greg Abbott signs new Texas congressional map designed to give GOP five more seats https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/29/greg-abbott-signs-texas-congressional-map-redistricting/ ↩︎
2.  Black caucus members support new redistricting maps https://wavepublication.com/black-caucus-members-support-new-redistricting-maps/ ↩︎