Letters: Gov. Newsom contradicts himself with Prop. 50

"Proposition 50, Gov. Newsom's current gerrymander proposal, is deeply schizophrenic in that, on the one hand, it urges our nation to adopt "fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting commissions" but, on the other hand, it replaces the congressional district maps, which were drawn by our own state's independent commission, with maps drawn by the partisan politicians in Sacramento. In other words, Newsom is telling America: "Do as I say, not as I do. We in California will not practice what we preach.""

"In addition, Newsom's proposed district maps, which resemble Rorschach Tests, are delusional because they ignore the reality that the Democrats already hold 43 (82%) of our state's 52 seats in Congress. In Texas, the Republicans hold only 25 (65%) of that state's 38 seats in Congress. Rather than engaging in these partisan shenanigans, our governor should focus on our state's chronic homelessness, crime, wildfire, deficit and education problems."

"Texas voters do not register by party. According to the Texas Independent Voter Project, nearly 47% of Texas voters vote for the Democratic candidate when they participate in a partisan primary. Texas currently has 37 congressional seats. Of those, Republicans hold 25, and they would like to increase that to 30. This means they want to increase the seats from 68% to 81%. Democrats need to bring a gun to this fight, and Proposition 50 is that gun."

Proposition 50 advocates adoption of fair, independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions while replacing the congressional maps drawn by California's independent commission with maps drawn by partisan politicians in Sacramento. The proposed maps are described as resembling Rorschach tests and are criticized for ignoring that Democrats already hold 43 of California's 52 congressional seats. Comparisons note that Texas Republicans hold 25 of 38 seats and aim to increase representation. Critics argue that partisan redistricting distracts from state priorities such as homelessness, crime, wildfires, budget deficits, and education. Additional commentary points to Texas voting patterns and local concerns about speeding on scenic roads.

Read at The Mercury News