What Prop 50’s passage means for Central Valley communities

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – California voters have spoken. The state’s independent redistricting commission is suspended until 2030.

“No crowns, no thrones, no kings. That’s what this victory represents,” Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.

Prop 50 passed overwhelmingly, giving the state permission to use a gerrymandered congressional map benefiting

democrats.

The map is projected to turn five red districts blue: 1, 3, 41, 48, and 22, where Congressman David Valadao represents parts of the south valley.

Valadao posted a statement reacting to the vote Wednesday.

It says in part, “Governor Newsom and the supermajority of Sacramento democrats sold Prop 50 as a fight for democracy, but in reality, it was never anything more than a calculated power grab to cement their control.”

Fresno State Political Science Professor Thomas Holyoke says the redistricting will have a significant impact on valley residents.

“All of a sudden, some people could find themselves in another congressional district unexpectedly, and their neighbors across the street might be in a totally different congressional district all of a sudden,” Holyoke said.

The new map will transition Fresno from three to four districts, and the city of Clovis from one to three districts.

“Their irrational hatred of Donald Trump was far stronger than anything they felt for their fellow Californians,” Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce said.

Clovis will now be divided between districts 5, 20, and 21, represented by Tom McClintock, Jim Costa, and Vince Fong.

“When you have a need in Clovis, now you have to get three different members of Congress to agree to bring that forward,” Pearce said. “It just dilutes that voice. You see the same thing with rural Californians, where, you know, you have the city of Avenal in Kings County that’s now going to have a representative from San Jose?”

The new map will impact the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections.

Then, in 2030, the redistricting commission will hold a census and redraw the maps once again.

Holyoke says, ahead of next year’s midterm election, “If things continue on the path that they have, yeah, it’ll probably be a wipeout for the Republicans. But, you know, a lot can happen in a year.”